


show me all the ins and outs ('cause it'll just make it easier to love you);

by mevies



Category: Descendants (2015), Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: But It's Fluffy, F/F, SO, it's the single parent au, like. really slow. it's so slow guys., literally everyone makes an appearance, mentions of past ben/mal, oh yeah, side audrey/ben and huma and jaylos, this is a slow burn by the way, ummmm i can't think of anything else, yeah this is all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-28 20:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 70,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15714327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mevies/pseuds/mevies
Summary: Mal wasn’t expecting to see Evie again, like, at all.It's weird how life happens sometimes.





	1. Part I.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HI HI HI HI I'M SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS ONE!!! The plan is to post each chapter every day until it's completed, and worry not, I have all of it written and ready to be posted. I really hope you guys like this one. I'm kinda nervous about sharing it, for some reason, and I really hope you guys like it. I've read each part obsessively many many times, but I'm pretty sure there are still a few typos that I didn't notice.
> 
> I'd also like to thank @cabooseachievables on tumblr and on here for listening to me rambling and screaming about this story as I binge-wrote it this past week. Thanks a lot, bud.
> 
> I can't remember if there's anything else I should add here before the chapter, so Imma just leave you guys to it. I feel butterflies in my stomach for some reason so I just gotta pull the trigger now I guess. See you at the end notes.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Descendants or its characters or Adventure Time like, at all, but I do own Lyla, which is pretty awesome. Because she's pretty awesome. So. Yeah.

“Oh, my God... Mal?”

 

The blonde looks up from the grocery list written down on her notes app at the sound of her name being called by an unfamiliar voice, and is surprised to come to face someone she hasn’t seen in almost seven years since her high school’s graduation day and she had seen the girl – now _woman_ – before her cross the stage to grab her diploma.

 

Mal doesn’t really think about high school. Not really. The only person she had kept in touch with throughout all these years since then was Uma, who’d been her best friend since pretty much the womb and hadn’t really left her side since then. She can’t really recall a moment before this very one that she’s bumped into someone from high school, nor she thinks she would remember anyone to actually recognize them if she had. Well, but _anyone_ isn’t the woman before her.

 

It’s kind of hard to forget someone like Evie Grimhilde. Granted she hadn’t really thought about her throughout these years – not even as a fleeting thought, in one of those _“I wonder where they are”_ moments that happen once the conversation turns to high school memories when your old friends get together. Especially because her only friend from that time is Uma, and they had pretty much kept to themselves during then, not really socializing much or caring enough to join in the crowd.

 

But, again, Evie Grimhilde wasn’t just anyone.

 

She had been the co-captain of the cheerleading team then, and the captain of the debate team. Not only that, but she was the top student of almost every class. So, to say that everyone from back then knew who Evie was would be an understatement. But Mal would’ve thought it’d be an overstatement to say that Evie would know who she was, much less know her name or even recognize her almost seven years later.

 

“Oh, wow, Evie?” Mal asks, surprised. The woman in front of her nods, and she gives Mal a smile as if she’s happy to see her. Mal doesn’t really understand why.

 

“Yeah. Wow! I haven’t seen you in…” She trails off, shaking her head, and then she lets out a breathy laugh, “Forever.”

 

Mal gives out an awkward laugh, nodding, “Yeah, uh… That’s what happens after high school, huh?”

 

She internally cringes. She sounded _old_.

 

“Yeah.” Evie nods, still smiling, “God, it’s so weird! Bumping into someone from high school here, of all places. How are you? How have you been?”

 

She looks at Mal with a smile and with genuine curiosity, as if she’s genuinely interested, and the blonde feels a little weird. It kinda feels a little like being thrown back into those years, and Mal feels her teenage awkwardness seeping back into her body and speech pattern as she clears her suddenly dry throat before responding, “Um, yeah. It’s pretty weird. Uh, I’m good. I’ve been uh, good. What about you?”

 

“Great! I just moved here – wait, do you live here?” She stops suddenly, looking at Mal with – what Mal thinks are – excited eyes, and the blonde nods.

 

“Yeah, um. I moved here after graduation. I went to college here.” She says, a little awkwardly, and if Evie thinks her behavior is weird, she doesn’t let it show.

 

“Oh! That’s awesome! As I was saying, I just moved here with Audrey – remember Audrey? – and I’m so glad that there’s someone we know here!” Evie says, almost as if in one breath, and it takes Mal a moment to process what she’s been told.

 

“Yeah, I remember Audrey,” She answers first, and then, “And um, it’s – well, Uma lives here, too. It’s not just me.”

 

“Oh, that’s even better!” Evie exclaims excitedly, and like.

 

Mal doesn’t really understand what’s happening. It’s not like Evie was super tight with her or Uma back then. But the woman’s excitement seems genuine, which kind of surprises Mal. She hadn’t expected Evie, of all people, to remember her or her best friend.

 

“Yeah.” She agrees, not really knowing how to continue this conversation. Evie seems to have it under control, though, as she speaks up again, not allowing their conversation to die.

 

“So, are you free right now? Do you wanna grab some coffee and maybe catch up or something? You said you’ve lived here since graduation, I’d love it if you could give me some pointers.” She says in a rush, “And we could catch up. Sorry, I already said that.” Evie chuckles, unperturbed, and Mal is a little overwhelmed, to be honest.

 

She bites her lip. “Actually, um… I can’t.”

 

Evie’s face falls, and Mal is quick to explain, not wanting the woman to think that she just didn’t want her company. It’s just –

 

‘”I have to pick up my daughter from Uma’s place.”

 

There’s a moment of silence as Evie processes her words, and then she’s asking, her tone as intrigued and curious as before, “You... have a daughter?”

 

She doesn’t sound… judgmental, or anything like that. Her tone is as light and curious and interested as before, but there’s a glint in her eye that shows Mal that she’s rather surprised by the new information. Mal guesses she can kind of understand the surprise, but it also makes her feel a little nervous.

 

“Yeah, um, Lyla’s her name. She’s almost three.” Mal says, and then she licks her lips, “Um, she’s pretty awesome.  I mean, she’s my daughter, but, you know.”

 

Evie chuckles, “Yeah. I’ll bet.” She grins, and then, “Well, okay, you can’t today, but do you maybe want to like, rain check? I’d really love to meet up for coffee or something and catch up. It seems like I’ve missed a lot.”

 

And. Alright.

 

So. It’s not like Evie and Mal were ever involved in each other’s lives, really. So she doesn’t see why Evie missing out on her life and her on Evie’s would even matter, honestly, but she guesses it wouldn’t hurt to reconnect with someone from high school – especially Evie, who’d been nothing but friendly and interested enough to even ask to meet up for coffee. And Uma is always on her case about her only really having like, 5 friends, so… Again, what’s there to lose, really?

 

She nods. “Okay. Sounds good.”

 

“Great!” Evie cheers, a huge grin on her face, and then, “I could give you my number and then you text me when it’s good for you?”

 

She asks this as she eyes the phone in Mal’s hand, the screen opened on a forgotten grocery list she had to power through to get to Uma’s as soon as possible – Mal nods and hands it over to the woman after exiting the notes app and switching it for the contacts app. Evie types in her number quickly, her fingers flying through the screen as she does so, and soon enough Mal’s phone is being handed back to her.

 

“Uh, thanks. So, I’ll just… text you, okay?” Mal says awkwardly and Evie nods, still not seeming to find Mal’s behavior strange. The blonde clears her throat, “Um, sorry, but I really do have to rush…”

 

“Oh no, yeah, of course!” Evie smiles, her hands gripping the handle of her shopping cart, and Mal nods, trying to offer her what she hopes was her normal smile. She begins to roll her cart away, and she’s a few steps away from Evie when the woman calls out, “Bye, Mal! It was great to see you again. I’ll be waiting on that text.”

 

Mal looks from over her shoulder and nods, still smiling, “Yeah, of course. Bye, Evie. Good to see you too.”

 

As she turns the corner towards the next section on her list, she bites her lip and shakes her head as she thinks about how weird these last few minutes had been.

 

It’s weird how life happens, sometimes. She’d never really thought about Evie Grimhilde after graduation, and now she was planning to meet up with her for coffee soon.

 

Yeah. Weird.

 

//

 

Mal doesn’t really mention her high school reunion with Uma until it’s twenty minutes before the time she had told Evie she’d meet her for a coffee on Friday that same week.

 

She texts her friend that she was meeting with Evie for coffee when she asks Mal what she was up to that afternoon, knowing that Lyla was at the Zoo with Mal’s neighbors, Carlos and Jay. When Mal tells her that she was meeting a friend, Uma had, understandably, thought she was lying, and Mal had to provide a backstory on her meeting of today.

 

So, to say Uma was more than a little confused by all of it would be an understatement. But then Mal had promised to stop by her house later on to explain everything and the woman had left her to drive safely towards the coffee place she had frequented for the better part of the last few years to meet up with Evie.

 

She gets there about five minutes early, the place being rather close from a walking distance to her apartment and even closer by car. The coffee shop she had chosen was an old one, located near the local park, the Library, the nearest market and a few other shops. Mal liked it because whenever she was out with Lyla at the park, she could also get other things done and then grab a snack with her daughter after.

 

She smiles at the memory of her latest visit to the coffee shop with her daughter as she rips open a packet of sugar to pour on her coffee, and that’s how Evie finds her a little over five minutes later.

 

Evie sets her purse on the booth after she sets down her own cup of coffee and the muffin she had picked up, and then she moves to sit and slide to settle in front of Mal, a big smile on her face as she greets her, and Mal tries to give her a smile back that isn’t completely ruined by awkwardness and nervousness. Mal doesn’t know why exactly she feels like that, but it’s kind of really annoying.

 

“So, this place is nice!” Evie compliments as soon as she’s settled in front of Mal, and the blonde feels a little relieved that the brunette in front of her approved of her choice.

 

“Oh, yeah. It’s one of my favorite places around here,” Mal says, looking around as she moves the coffee spoon back and forth inside her cup, “I come here all the time. Lyla loves their chocolate cake and _they_ love Lyla, so. Plus it’s near home.”

 

“Oh, you live near?” Evie asks, interested, and Mal nods, “Awesome! So do we. We live like, ten minutes away? Fifteen tops.”

 

“Oh, yeah, you mentioned you live with Audrey, right?” Mal asks as she stirs her coffee. Evie nods.

 

“Yeah, we’ve actually technically never lived together before, so it’s an adjustment, but living with your best friend of years is a lot of fun,” Evie gushes, “Our tastes are pretty similar so thankfully we agree in pretty much everything in regards of decoration.”

 

“That’s important,” Mal says, “I don’t think I could share my living space with just anyone without killing them after a week. _Maybe_ with Uma, but even then I’m not so sure.” She chuckles, “So, if you two are still getting along, that’s a good sign.”

 

“Oh, so you don’t live with Lyla’s father?” Evie asks, bluntly and surprised, and her eyes widen when she realizes what she’s just asked. Mal pauses the journey of her coffee cup to her lips as she looks at Evie in surprise, the brunette woman’s face flushing a distinct tone of red at her indiscretion, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ask that – you totally don’t have to answer if you don’t want –“

 

“I don’t,” Mal interrupts her, “Um, Ben and I haven’t really been together since a little after I got pregnant. It’s a complicated story, but to sum it all up, we’re not together.” At Evie’s sympathetic look, Mal shakes her head and gives her an awkward but hopefully reassuring smile, “It’s fine – Ben’s still very present. He’s like, honestly one of my best friends in the world. It’s none of that um… you know, absent father thing.”

 

“Oh, well, that’s great then!” Evie smiles, “Sorry for assuming.”

 

“It’s fine,” Mal waves her off, “Happens quite a lot, actually.”

 

And it’s true. Whenever people learn that Mal’s a single mother at such a young age, they either assume Ben’s an absent father or that they’re together. And they did try to stay together, for at least half of the pregnancy period, but then they had realized that the emotional stress of having a baby at twenty-one and sharing a place was putting a strain on their relationship, and had mutually decided that they were better off as best friends if they wanted to make sharing an apartment and having a baby work.

 

After Lyla was born, they shared a place for about a year until they thought it was safe – and a good time – for one of them to move out. Ben, coming from a considerably wealthy family and wanting to make sure that Lyla – and Mal’s – necessities were attended to, had decided to move out himself and keep paying for the rent and their necessities until Mal could actually work – and to this day, even though Mal already had a comfortable job as an Arts teacher at the local high school, Ben was still paying for their rent and for their necessities (except groceries, because that was where Mal drew the line), and refused  to let go of that responsibility, which in all honesty, makes Mal thankful that her accidental pregnancy happened with her best friend and not some random guy from college.

 

Evie’s still smiling when she asks, “Well, is Lyla a good roommie?”

 

“She’s a handful,” Mal sighs, playfully, “She’s very talkative, especially during the night, doesn’t like cleaning up after herself, unfortunately she’s taken after me and just _loves_ to draw on the walls with her crayons. And has a slightly unhealthy obsession with Adventure Time. So, you know.”

 

Evie giggles softly at that, and Mal gives her a smile, “She sounds like a handful, alright. But a good one,” Evie winks, and then, “I’d love to hear more about her, if that’s okay.”

 

Mal pauses. She usually tries to be mindful of how much she talks about her daughter, not wanting to become one of those boring adults that only ever talk about their kids. But, since Evie asked, she guesses she could open an exception.

 

(Except she’s always willing to talk about her baby and is always just waiting for someone to ask.)

 

“Well, she’s almost three. I know every parent says this about their kid, but I mean it, she’s like, way too smart for her age. Sometimes it’s like _she’s_ taking care of me than the other way around. Um, she’s really charming and sweet and she’s definitely taken those traits after her father, and her temper and knack for vandalism on my walls after me.”

 

Evie chuckles over her cup of coffee, “I don’t know, Mal, I think you can be pretty charming and sweet too.”

 

“Yeah, right,” Mal grins, rolling her eyes, and Evie chuckles at her response.

 

“Is she at preschool right now?” Evie asks, curious, and Mal shakes her head no.

 

“She’s at the Zoo with our neighbors, her Uncles Carlos and Jay.” Mal informs with a small smile on her face, “Those two aren’t in any way related to me or Ben, but they earned the title of Uncles from Lyla pretty early on. I, personally, think it was her way of getting them to let her play with their puppy whenever she wanted.”

 

“That’s adorable,” Evie gushes. Mal smiles a little at the positive reaction towards her daughter. “Does she not go to preschool yet?”

 

“Oh, she does. But only a few times a week. Usually from Monday to Thursday, and then Friday she’s free to do what her little heart – or mine, or Ben’s, if he’s free – desires.” Mal says, chuckling, “Fridays are my days off so I’m usually the one with her. Carlos and Jay have been organizing this little Zoo trip for about two weeks, syncing up their schedules so they could go with her and give me a free morning to just… relax.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m totally taking your only morning free –“

 

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m thankful for this,” Mal motions between the two of them, “I’d probably be just walking around the house like a loser, bored out of my mind for most of the morning until Uma got off work or Lyla came back, if it weren’t for you taking my free morning.”

 

Evie gives her a smile, and her shoulders drop as if she had been actually concerned about it, “Okay, good. I’m glad I could help.”

 

Mal smiles at her.

 

“So, how come you moved to Auradon?” Mal asks, wanting to take the spotlight off herself and her little family, and Evie grins.

 

“Oh, well, Audrey and I work with fashion design and it’s always been a dream of ours to open our own business and start a line together. We mostly freelance right now, but when we realized most of our clients were from here, we thought it’d be a good idea to just move and maybe get it started here after college – maybe open a boutique eventually.”  Evie shrugs one shoulder, a small smile on her face, and Mal smiles when she hears the passion lying underneath her words. “You know, we’re both young and we love what we do, so we thought _‘what the hell?’_ and just did it.”

 

“Well, that sounds awesome.” Mal says, impressed, “I admire you guys for just taking the leap. I hope everything works out for you.”

 

“Thank you.” Evie smiles, “If it comes down to it, at least we tried, you know? That has to count for something.”

 

“For sure.”

 

“And what about you? What do you do?” Evie asks, curiously, and Mal finishes her coffee before responding.

 

“I’m an Arts teacher at the local high school,” She says, not as excitedly as Evie had been, and the brunette seems to notice, “I mean, I love working with art and the students aren’t all that bad, but it wasn’t exactly my first choice.”

 

“What was your first choice?” Evie asks, propping her head on her hand as she leans over.

 

Mal pauses for a second before licking her lips and shrugging, “Well, the dream was to have my own gallery and sell my work there. But, you know, haven’t quite given up on that yet. The teaching job is because… you know.”

 

Evie nods, a small smile on her face, “Well, I’m sure everything will work out the way you want it to eventually. For what it’s worth, I think you have it pretty together for someone our age. It’s a given you’ll figure your dream out, as well.”

 

Mal smiles at the genuine compliment, “Thank you. Let’s hope so.“

 

And it’s the moment Evie gives her a grin that Mal realizes that she hasn’t really divulged that specific tidbit about owning a gallery to another person that wasn’t Uma or Ben; but there was just something about Evie that kind of made it impossible for her not to – so much so, that it had come out of her mouth out of instinct, _naturally_. That throws her off a little – but in a good way. In a way that she hasn’t felt in a long time.

 

Mal realized she felt comfortable with it.

 

Evie seems to notice it, because there’s a different smile on her face as her studious brown eyes look at her for a moment before she says, “You’re different from what I remembered you to be. Changed.”

 

“Yeah, some things happened since then,” Mal winks, as if sharing an inside joke with her, and Evie chuckles before she nods.

 

“I guess that would be enough to change a person.” Evie agrees, still smiling, “I don’t think I have changed much since then.”

 

“I think you have,” Mal says, shaking her head twice. Evie gives her a curious look.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. I don’t think you could’ve actually been found having coffee with me in High School, for starters.” Mal winks, and Evie looks down at her forgotten muffin for a second, and Mal thinks she might’ve said the wrong thing. Just as she’s about to apologize, Evie looks up at her with a small smile.

 

“Well, then, I’m glad I’ve changed.” Evie says, earnestly, and Mal feels something stir inside of her at the woman’s tone. “I’m having a really good time with you, Mal.”

 

“Yeah, that’s something you might’ve not had with high school me,” Mal says, giving her a funny look, “I wasn’t really… _fun_ , I don’t think.”

 

Evie begins to nod, but then catches herself at the last minute and gives Mal a sheepish look when the blonde laughs at her reaction, “Sorry, it’s just… well, you never seemed… happy, then.”

 

“Oh, I wasn’t. Hated every last minute of it.” Mal nods in agreement, and Evie chuckles under her breath, “Someone’s gotta be the angsty teen in high school, right?”

 

At that, Evie lets out a real laugh, and Mal smiles at the sound of it. “Yeah, sounds about right.”

 

“Yeah, I let the social interactions and popularity and everything that came with it for you guys to deal with, and dedicated my entire high school career to flying under the radar.” Mal divulges, almost proudly, and Evie’s laugh turns into a half smile as she shakes her head, as if disagreeing with her. “What?”

 

“Not entirely under the radar.” She winks, and it’s like she’s sharing a secret with herself, because Mal doesn’t quite understand what she means by that.

 

And Evie doesn’t elaborate.

 

“If you say so.” Mal shrugs, finally, and Evie’s smile doesn’t leave her face.

 

After that, their conversation turns to Mal’s personal recommendations of places for Evie to go, supermarkets, parks, beaches and shops, with Evie listening with attention and even going so far as writing down names and addresses on her notes app from time to time. Mal gives her pointers and routes only a person that’s lived in a city for as long as she had could possibly know, and they’re well into their second cups of coffee when both of them realize they probably should wrap it up.

 

They arrange to meet again the next week, with Mal divulging that Lyla was going to be spending her Friday with Ben, and then insisting that she did not care that Evie was taking her only free morning again, in fact, she encouraged her to. _(“You’d be doing me a huge favor, honestly.”)_. Evie seems convinced then, and she nods and smiles and tells her to keep her posted.

 

//

 

Uma barely gives her time to think after she rings the doorbell, ripping the door open and pulling Mal inside and dragging her to the living room couch and practically forcing her friend to sit down before she takes a seat next to her.

 

“Hey, Harry,” Mal throws in over the back of the couch at the guy who’d been chuckling at his girlfriend’s antics from the kitchen counter, a dish towel thrown over his shoulder. He nods and waves at her, his smile still in place.

 

“Mal.” He greets, his tone amused, and Mal rolls her eyes when Uma makes an impatient sound by her side. She turns to the woman, then, and finds Uma looking at her expectantly.

 

“So?”

 

“So, what?” Mal drags out, finding great pleasure in annoying her best friend so easily. Uma rolls her eyes.

 

“You went out with Evie Grimhilde?” Uma asks, annoyed that she even had to, and Mal gives her a smirk as she nods, proud that she’s won this round. Uma rolls her eyes again.

 

“I did,” Mal says, and then, “Not like, went out _went out,_ as in a date.” She clarifies when she sees the look Uma gives her.

 

Uma ignores her, “How was it? I haven’t seen her or her clique in… seven years?”

 

“Almost that, yeah,” Mal nods, and then, “I don’t think she still has a clique. I think it’s just her and Audrey now. But it was nice. She’s really nice. She’s… um, nice.”

 

There’s a pause, and then, “Yeah, she always had a reputation of being nice,” Uma says, giving her a weird look, “So, she’s living here now?”

 

Mal nods, “Her and Audrey moved here recently. I think I was like, the first familiar face Evie’s met besides Audrey here.”

 

“That explains it.” Uma teases, and Mal kind of agrees with her, but still doesn’t stop her eye roll from happening. “Well, are you gonna see her again?”

 

Mal frowns. “You’re making it sound like something else.”

 

“You’re the one putting words in my mouth,” Uma rebuts, “I’m just asking if maybe you’ve made a new friend, which is something you _know_ I’ve been pushing you to do since forever.”

 

Mal rolls her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. We’re seeing each other again next week,” The blonde says, and then she stands, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to number one.”

 

Uma laughs and Mal joins in as she starts to make her way to the bathroom, “Just say pee like a normal person.”

 

“You know I can’t.” Mal calls out from over her shoulder, “It’s the mommy brain.”

 

She can hear Uma and Harry’s laughter following after her on the hallway towards the bathroom and smiles.

 

In the living room, Uma looks at Harry and finds him mirroring her knowing look.

 

“Do you think she knows?” Uma asks in a stage whisper, referring to her friend and her newest friend, and Harry shakes his head and chuckles.

 

“I don’t think so, no.” He answers, and Uma chuckles under her breath.

 

This should make for good entertainment for the upcoming weeks.

 

//

 

The next Friday morning greets them with something unexpected.

 

Mal wakes up at seven with a text message from Ben letting her know he’d have to pick Lyla up later than they had agreed to because of a last minute meeting that he absolutely had to attend that morning. Mal texts him back that it was no problem, and then opens Evie’s text messages and lets her know that maybe they would have to rain check their coffee that morning for the next week or sometime soon because of Ben’s scheduling conflicts, only to have the woman text her back minutes later that it was not a problem and that they could still go today, if Mal was okay with bringing Lyla along, saying that she was curious to get to know Mal’s offspring.

 

_(‘If that’s okay with you, of course. We can still rain check for next week if not.’)_

 

Mal had, ultimately, decided that there was no harm in it, and that was how Evie walks into the coffee shop two hours later to find Mal and Lyla sitting down beside each other on the same booth as last week, the little girl’s hand wrapped around a yellow crayon as she focused on the paper in front of her.

 

Lyla looks like a mix of Mal and someone else Evie hasn’t met – the little girl’s hair is curly and blonde - not platinum blonde, but the natural color of blonde that Evie remembers Mal’s to have been once upon a time. Her eyes are brown and not really similar to her mother’s in shape, not in the way her nose and mouth are.

 

“This is crazy,” Evie says as a greeting, and Mal looks up at her with a smile.

 

“I know,” Mal says, and then she looks down at her daughter, who was still focusing on her work with the yellow crayon and tucks a blonde lock of hair behind her little ear, “Lyla, say hi to Evie.”

 

The little girl looks up from her drawing and Evie almost gasps at how similar she looks to her mother. “Hi.”

 

Her voice is shy and adorable and Evie melts on her seat, “Hi, sweetie. What are you drawing?”

 

“Jake.” She says, as if assuming Evie would know just who Jake was, and goes back to her drawing. Evie looks at Mal for guidance, and the woman mouths ‘ _Adventure Time’_ to her.

 

“Oh, is he your favorite character from Adventure Time?” Evie asks, winking at Mal, and the older blonde chuckles.

 

“No, Jake is Uncle Carlos’ favorite, and Princess Bubblegum is mine,” Lyla says seriously, putting down the yellow crayon and reaching for the brown one, “Mommy likes Marceline, and daddy likes Finn. I think Uncle Harry’s favorite is BMO, but I’m not sure,” She says, and Evie almost squeals because for the whole time, Lyla had a serious look on her face as she told her this, but she couldn’t properly pronounce her ‘r’s yet, so naturally that makes her speech sound like the cutest thing Evie’s ever heard.

 

Mal’s looking at her like she knows exactly what she’s thinking.

 

“Who’s your favorite, Evie?” Lyla asks, then, looking up from her drawing at Evie for a moment before turning back to her work. Evie pauses, not exactly knowing what to tell her. Mal comes to her rescue when Lyla looks up at Evie again, expectantly.

 

“I don’t think Evie likes Adventure Time as much as we do, sweetie.” Mal says, running her fingers through her daughter’s hair and the little girl’s eyes widen, shocked.

 

“Why not?” She asks, and Evie answers before Mal could.

 

“Well, I just don’t know it like you do. Maybe you could tell me about it and then I’ll pick my favorite?” Evie asks, as if to comfort the little girl, and Mal’s eyes widen in genuine alarm at the same time as Lyla’s brown eyes’ light up in excitement.

 

“You’re in for it now,” Mal stage whispers with a laugh and Lyla shushes her before she launches into a lengthy description of her favorite characters and her favorite episodes, only barely managing to sound coherent as Evie listens on with a smile on her face, managing to figure out when to make the right affirmative noises to show her that she was listening and asking little questions here and there to keep the little girl rambling. Mal watches on with a smile on her face and eventual chuckles here and there, especially when Lyla changes the topic and begins to ramble about some other character before even finishing her description of an episode. Evie and Lyla shush her then, and Mal has to cover her mouth with her hand so her laughter doesn’t interrupt their talk.

 

“Why are you laughing, mommy? That wasn’t funny,” Lyla frowns up at her eventually, when Mal’s chuckles became a little too loud for Lyla’s taste as she described one of her least favorite episodes of Adventure Time as she colored the outfit of one of the characters, and Evie and Mal had to stop themselves from letting their laughter escape at that.

 

“Sorry bug, we’re both listening.” Mal says, forcing a neutral expression, and Lyla studies her for a moment before she nods and goes back to her rambling, seeming to just be happy to be talking about her favorite show, not exactly caring to look up at Evie or Mal to check if they were actually paying attention or not.

 

(They were.)

* * *

A while after that, Lyla had occupied herself with the strawberry smoothie and the chocolate cake slice her mother had ordered for her and finished her rambling, allowing Evie and Mal to actually have a conversation as the little girl ate and continued her work with her crayons and her drawing book.

 

They’re mid conversation about Evie’s newest design when Evie seems to notice something she hadn’t before. “Is that a tattoo?”

 

Mal frowns and looks down at her forearm where Evie was looking, and notices her jacket had riled up as she moved to help Lyla with her food, exposing the tattoo she had gotten a little after Lyla was born. She smiled down at it and laid her arm on the table, allowing Evie to take a closer look. The woman ran her manicured fingers over the lines for a moment as she studied it. “What does it mean?”

 

Mal bites her lip for a moment, and Evie looks up at her, “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I know some meanings are personal.”

 

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s just… kinda lengthy.” Mal chuckles, “I feel like you’ve already gotten enough of that today,” She says, motioning with her head to her right, where her daughter was still drawing. Evie waved her off.

 

“No, please, I want to know if you want to tell me.”

 

There’s another pause, and then, “Well, this is supposed to signify her. During my pregnancy, I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to name her, and neither did Ben. We spent countless days trying to brainstorm a name, but nothing felt right,” Mal says, stroking her daughter’s hair as she talked. Lyla seemed to not be paying attention to them at all, but still appreciative of her mother’s affections on her hair, “Until the very night I had her. I was rushed to the hospital, Ben in tow, and he spent the entire time I was recovering from the birth looking up names. Until he found hers.”

 

She looks up at Evie to find the woman looking at her with soft eyes and completely involved in the story, and she smiles, “Her name has about three possible origins, but with the specific spelling we chose, it comes to mean ‘girl from the island’. There was just something about that that got Ben’s attention, and he just knew that I’d love it.” She shrugs, a fond smile on her face as she recalls that night, and Evie smiles as she looks from Mal to the little girl who was currently blowing at her drawing as if to clean the excess of crayon from it. “This specific drawing wouldn’t leave my head, and I knew I didn’t want it to be a painting or anything of the sort. So, a few months later, I asked Jay to get this done with the design I made for a tattoo.”

 

Evie looks down again at the black ink on the woman’s pale arm, the lines coming together neatly to form a minimalistic yet beautiful drawing of an Island inside a triangle on the woman’s skin.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Evie compliments, “The tattoo and the name.”

 

Mal grins at her, “Thank you.”

 

“Is that the only tattoo you’ve designed?”

 

“No,” Mal shakes her head, “Jay has a tattoo shop and sometimes he asks me to help him by coming up with a few designs when he’s struggling. But this is the only tattoo I have, funnily enough.”

 

“Still beats me,” Evie laughs, “I don’t have any ink on me. Nothing’s ever really caught my eye for long enough for me to get a tattoo.”

 

“Well, maybe we can change that,” Mal winks, and Evie chuckles.

 

“Mommy, can I get another cake?” Lyla asks before any of them can continue the conversation, and Mal looks down at her daughter to find her looking up at her with a pout, “Mine’s all done and my smoothie feels lonely.”

 

“Why don’t you drink your smoothie, then?” Mal asks, and Lyla frowns.

 

“Because there’s no cake left to drink with it, mommy!” She says, as if she thought her mother silly to not understand her obvious problem, and Evie chuckles at them.

 

“Yeah, Mal.” Evie says, mimicking Lyla’s tone and expression and making the younger blonde give her a smile, happy to have someone to back her up in convincing her mother, and the older blonde rolls her eyes at Evie playfully.

 

“Okay, you can have another cake. But then you have to eat your cake _and_ drink your smoothie, okay?” Mal says, and Lyla nods. Mal looks up to see that one of the waitresses that liked Lyla the most was working at the counter now, and nods with her head towards her. “You can ask Jane for another slice.”

 

“Okay.” Lyla nods and jumps out of the booth, landing on the floor with an excited giggle, and speeds towards the counter, quickly grabbing the attention of Jane. Mal watches them with a smile and Evie smiles as she watches Mal look after her daughter.

 

“She’s adorable.” Evie says after a moment while they watch Jane pick up Lyla in her arms and help her decide which flavor of cake she wanted now, and Mal looks at her with a smile on her face.

 

“Thank you.” She says, and then, “And, thanks for this. I mean, letting Lyla tag along. I know not a lot of adults would want to hang out with a kid this early on a Friday morning.”

 

Evie waves her off, “Please, you don’t have to thank me for that at all. It’s my pleasure. And I mean it; Lyla’s quite honestly the cutest kid I’ve ever met.”

 

“She is, isn’t she?” Mal wrinkles her nose, “I’m thinking about keeping her around.”

 

They share a laugh at that, and soon enough the waitress, Jane, is walking Lyla back to their booth, the little girl’s hand in her free one as she carries the plate with her chosen chocolate cake for the younger blonde.  

 

Mal helps her daughter up on the booth’s cushioned seats and Jane settles the plate on the table with a smile. “Thanks, Jane.”

 

“No problem. Anything for this little angel.” Jane says, winking at Lyla and making the girl giggle at her. “Call me if you need anything else.”

 

Mal and Evie nod at her and Lyla begins eating her chocolate cake, making a show of chewing and then swallowing before she takes a sip out of her strawberry smoothie through the matching pink straw. Mal rolls her eyes at her daughter’s theatrics and Evie laughs at them.

 

They manage to talk for another three minutes without any interruptions before Lyla looks up at her mother again.

 

“Mommy, can you draw Princess Bubblegum so I can paint her?” She asks, sliding her drawing book closer to her mother and then the black crayon.

 

Mal nods, used to the request. Lyla would sometimes have Mal draw the outline of her favorite characters or whatever else she felt like requesting that day so she could color them afterwards. It was almost as if Mal was creating her daughter her own personalized coloring book with whatever popped into the younger blonde’s head. Admittedly, almost if not all of the requests she received from the little girl were _Adventure Time_ related, and Mal was well into becoming a pro at drawing the cartoon characters.

 

She begins the outline, then, and Evie watches her with a smile, realizing then that this is the first time that Mal looked even remotely like the Mal she knew in high school – well, not _knew_ , because they’ve never really talked before that day at the supermarket, but.

 

Mal had always had her nose tucked into her sketchbook, either by herself or accompanied by Uma, but always deep in focus on whatever she was working on. Usually Evie could see Uma giving Mal little comments here and there about her drawings, and Evie had wanted for a long time to approach the blonde on the few occasions she had seen her working on her sketchbook by herself and ask her if she could see her drawings or simply ask her what she was working on. But her longing had stayed just that – longing. Evie had always found something else to distract her mind after a while, until she’d forgotten she’d wanted to ask Mal about her drawings until she caught a glimpse of the girl and her sketchbook again.

 

She smiles minimally as she watches the older blonde draw a cartoon character for her daughter.

* * *

 

Moments later, when Mal had finished the outline and Lyla was well into her coloring of the pink colored princess and the two women were mid conversation about how Evie and Audrey were getting used to the new city, Lyla looks up at Evie with curious eyes.

 

“How you write your name?” She asks, a purple crayon hovering over the paper as she looks at her, a frown on her face.

 

“E-V-I-E.” Evie spells out with a smile, looking back at the little girl, and Lyla nods at her before looking back at her drawing and writing Evie’s name slowly and carefully, citing down the letters to herself as she did so. Once she’s done with Evie’s name, she draws a smiley face with two dots and a half circle and rips the page carefully out of her notebook, her tongue peeking out as she focused on the task at hand.

 

Once that’s done, Mal watches with a smile as Lyla hands the drawing to Evie, a small smile on her little face as she does so, and Evie looks at the little girl in surprise as she accepts the drawing. “For me?”

 

Lyla nods, “This is Princess Bubblegum, she’s my most favorite. We can share for now.”

 

When Evie looks at Mal after hearing that, the blonde is already looking at her with a smile forming on her face as she watches the surprised yet touched expression on Evie’s face, completely charmed by her daughter’s gesture. “I told you she’s taken after her father.”

 

Evie shakes her head, smile still in place as she looks at the paper in her hands with a fond look, “I don’t know, Mal,” She says, “I still think she might also have taken it from you.”

 

//

 

Mal’s in the middle of helping Lyla pack for a weekend at Ben’s, knowing the man was on his way to pick their daughter up later that Friday, when her phone vibrates loudly from the young girl’s dresser.

 

Lyla looks up at it from where she sat, trying to decide which toys she would be taking to her dad’s, and helpfully informs, “Mommy, your phone.”

 

“Yes, baby, my phone. Now, please pick a toy?” She gives her a pointed look, glancing at the toys sprawled out across the floor, “And then pick up your mess, yeah?”

 

“Kay kay.” Lyla says, turning back to her toys, and then she’s distracted yet again by the sound of Mal’s phone vibrating on her dresser once again, “Mommy, your-“

 

“My phone, I know, I know.” Mal says, sighing and then setting the shirt she was folding down on the girl’s bed and then turning around to grab it from the dresser. When she turns around to face her daughter again, she finds the little girl standing up and walking towards her mother, her tiny hands reaching up and making grabby hands for her mother’s phone. Mal shakes her head. “No time for that, go pick a toy and then clean up that mess on your floor.”

 

“But Mommy –“

 

“Lyla.” Mal repeats, giving her daughter a look. When Lyla pouts, the older woman sighs, “Tell you what, you do what I asked, and then if there’s time you can play on my phone until your dad gets here.”

 

Lyla grins widely at that, happy with the compromise, and goes back to her toys. Mal shakes her head with a smile, and turns her attention to her phone as she walks back to the girl’s bed to resume packing. Instead of an e-mail or text notification, Mal finds an Instagram notification staring back at her.

 

 _“eviegrimhilde has tagged you in a photo._ ”

 

Mal frowns for a moment before she remembers that Evie had asked her if it was okay for her to take a picture of Lyla, and the younger blonde had promptly answered her before her mother could, grinning up at Evie widely enough for Mal to know she didn’t really have a say on it.

 

Smiling softly, Mal clicks on the notification and unlocks her phone, her smile widening once she sees the picture Evie had posted and tagged her in. It’s a series of two pictures, the first one of Lyla giving Evie a tight lipped smile as she leans over the table with her face resting on her two hands as her elbows rest on the table, and the second one is of her with her tongue out and her eyes closed, her arms now lying fully on the table as she leans even closer to Evie and her phone camera. Mal chuckles as she double taps the picture and scrolls down a little to see the woman’s caption.

 

 **eviegrimhilde:** met the coolest (and cutest) little girl today.

 

When she looks at her coolest and cutest little girl, then, she finds the younger blonde shoving her toys back inside her closet with one arm as she held a stuffed Finn from Adventure Time and a Princess Bubblegum under the other. She laughs, knowing she’d have to sort them out later once the girl left, and walks over to her little girl and grabs her daughter and her two stuffed toys in one big swoop and squeezes her, chuckling when the little girl squeals loudly in surprise.

 

She carries her to her bed and sets her down, chuckling when Lyla drops her toys near her bag and jumps up on Mal, lacing her mother’s neck with her little arms and hanging on her like a little koala.

 

“I love you, Mommy.” Lyla says, looking up at her mother with a grin, and Mal leans down and plants a loud kiss on her little girl’s forehead.

 

“I love you more, bug.”

 

Lyla giggles at the nickname and Mal smiles.

 

//

 

“Who’s the cutie on your last instagram post?” Audrey asks as she sets down her mug on the kitchen counter next to Evie, where the girl had been working on a design for one of their latest clients, “Oh, that looks amazing, by the way.”

 

“Thanks, do you like the neckline?” Evie asks, leaning back a bit to allow Audrey a better view of the drawing. Audrey studies it for a second before she nods and Evie goes back to the drawing, “And that’s Lyla. She’s Mal’s daughter I told you about.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Audrey nods to herself, as if remembering, “She’s so adorable, and now that you mentioned it, she looks like Mal.”

 

“Acts like her, too.” Evie gushes, a smile on her face as she thinks back to her morning with the blonde duo, “I swear she’s the cutest.”

 

“Mal or her daughter?” Audrey asks with a smirk, and Evie rolls her eyes at her friend.

 

“Lyla.”

 

“Uh-huh.” The other Latina gives her a knowing look, and Evie rolls her eyes again, making Audrey chuckle. She takes a sip of her tea, and then says, “It’s crazy, though. That Mal has a daughter.”

 

Evie doesn’t look up from her sketch as she says, “I thought so, too, until I saw them interacting. I swear, it’s just…” She trails off, and then she shakes her head, “I don’t know. It just makes sense.”

 

Audrey nods, studying her best friend with her brown eyes, and Evie looks up at her after a moment, frowning. “What?”

 

She shakes her head, but there’s something in her eyes that Evie can’t quite figure out, “Nothing. Do you want more coffee?”

 

“Yeah, thanks.” Audrey nods and pulls her friend’s mug closer to her before standing up and making her way to the kitchen to grab more coffee for the woman. As she pours the hot liquid on Evie’s baby blue mug, there’s a chiming sound from one of the phones on the counter and Audrey looks up to see Evie grinning down at her phone.

 

She smiles to herself and shakes her head as she sets the coffee pot back down.

 

//

 

That next Thursday night, Mal’s phone rings with an incoming call and the blonde picks up on the third ring, holding her phone between her shoulder and her cheek as she finished preparing Lyla’s dinner.

 

“Hello?” She says, cursing mentally when she realizes she hadn’t checked the caller ID before accepting the call.

 

“Mal?” Evie’s voice greets back, and the blonde allows a small smile to appear on her face.

 

“This is her,” She answers, playfully, and she hears the sound of Evie’s chuckle on the other end of the call.

 

“I was calling to tell you I don’t think I can make it tomorrow morning,” Evie says, her tone apologetic, “I totally forgot I promised to drive Audrey to the airport in the morning.”

 

Evie had mentioned via text messages during the week that her roommate and fellow high school colleague was preparing for a week-long trip to visit her grandmother and family back in Mexico and that she was driving Evie crazy with all of her planning and packing.

 

“Oh, yeah, it’s no problem,” Mal says, only a little bummed that her plans with Evie had been cancelled, “How is she?”

 

“She finally tired herself out and is currently passed out on her bed, all of her bags packed and near the door,” Evie informs, and Mal chuckles when she notices the relieved tone in Evie’s voice.

 

“That’s good, then.” Mal says, checking the vegetables she was planning on sneaking into her daughter’s plate.

 

“Sorry, am I interrupting you?” Evie sounds apologetic.

 

“Oh, no, I’m just making Lyla her dinner,” Mal says, and the younger blonde peeks her head from over the back of the couch where she was sitting down watching – _shocker_ \- Adventure Time at the mention of her name. Mal wrinkles her nose at her and Lyla giggles before disappearing again.

 

Mal chuckles.

 

“Did she just do something adorable and I missed it?” Evie asks, and Mal can hear the pout in her voice. She chuckles again.

 

“No, I was the one doing the something adorable.” Mal says cockily, and Evie laughs from the other end.

 

“I’ll bet.” She says, and then, “Speaking of which, is she going to be at Ben’s tomorrow?”

 

“No,” Mal shakes her head, and then stops once she realizes Evie can’t see her. “Uma and Harry are taking her out tomorrow and then returning her on Saturday for some quality time with their goddaughter. Why?”

 

“Adorable. And because I was wondering if you wanted to come over tomorrow night?” Evie asks, and at Mal’s audible pause, she adds, “Or do you have any plans?”

 

“No, no,” Mal shakes her head again and then rolls her eyes when she realizes she’s done it again, “I was just going to not move from my couch for the whole night.”

 

Evie chuckles again, “Well, you’re welcome to not move from my couch, if you want. With pizza and drinks and high quality company.”

 

Mal smiles, “I’ll go for the pizza.”

 

“Aw, and here I thought you enjoyed my company.”

 

“You’re okay.” Mal chuckles, and then, “Text me your address and what time I should come by?”

 

“Yup. I’ll let you go now. Tell Lyla I said hi?”

 

“Lyla, Evie says hi.” Mal calls out, and the younger blonde’s head peeks out from behind the couch again with a grin.

 

“HI EVIE!” She yells, giggling when her mother shushes her, and Evie laughs out loud from the other end of the call.

 

“Lyla says hi back.” Mal deadpans, and that makes Evie laugh even more.

 

“I heard,” She says, finally, and Mal smiles. There’s a moment of silence between them before Evie seems to catch herself, “Well, have a good rest of the night, Mal.”

 

“You too, Evie.”

 

//

 

Friday night rolls around and Mal finds herself being greeted by a comfortably dressed Evie in light blue jeans, a comfortable looking blue cotton sweatshirt and no trace of make-up on her face. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head with a few strands escaping the bun and framing her face nicely, and Mal feels strangely warm at the sight.

 

“Come on in,” Evie waves her in with a smile, “You can take off your shoes if you want. And I encourage you to, because Audrey’s super annoying about it and she’ll somehow sense it all the way from Mexico if you don’t.”

 

Mal chuckles and nods, untying her shoelaces and mentally face palming at herself when she notices she had unconsciously picked the socks she wears to match with Lyla when they’re having their special mommy-daughter nights.

 

Also known as her dragon patterned light purple socks.

 

Evie spots them right away, the light purple a contrast of color in all the grey and black from Mal’s chosen outfit, “Let me guess, Lyla?”

 

“Yup.” Mal nods, and they share a laugh as Evie motions for Mal to walk in further into her apartment. It’s not a big one, but it’s comfortable enough for two people to live in. There’s fabric and piles of notebooks and a sewing machine in one corner of the rather spacious living room, and the living room and the kitchen are divided by a counter. There’s even a small balcony at the right corner of the room and next to the counter, where Mal can see a few flowers were hanged, and then there’s a small hallway with three doors to the left of the room which Mal assumed to be Audrey and Evie’s bedrooms and the bathroom.

 

There are a few paintings and picture frames hanged on the light peach colored walls, and the place looks cute and feminine – definitely the kind of place Mal would’ve thought Audrey and Evie would live in. And Mal can totally see what Evie had meant about them agreeing on decoration – nothing seemed out of place, and everything was organized and neatly placed. The color schemes were well planned, and Mal thought it reflected the girls living in it perfectly.

“I like your apartment,” Mal compliments after she takes it all in, and Evie beams at her.

 

“Thank you!” Evie says, “Audrey and I just about finished decorating it.”

 

“It looks great.” Mal says and Evie grins happily.

 

Evie then motions for Mal to sit down on the couch as she walks into the kitchen to grab their drinks, telling her that their pizza – _s_ , plural- should be getting there soon. She asks Mal to turn on the TV to pick something for them to watch, and Mal complies, swapping through channels for a moment before something grabs her attention and she smiles.

 

“How do you feel about reality TV?” Mal asks as Evie walks back and hands her a drink and Evie smiles.

 

“Shamefully addicted to it.” She answers, and Mal chuckles.

 

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, when they’re well fed and the television is on a random channel just serving as background noise, Evie turns to her with a curious look as she takes another sip of the water glass she had switched her drink for as the hours went by. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

 

Mal pauses, a little taken back by the request. “Um, like what?”

 

“Like… anything, really. It’s weird; I feel like I know you because we go way back, but I don’t _know_ you. Other than the general Lyla related stuff, and your art, and the teen angst past that comes with it.”

 

Mal snorts at that and Evie chuckles, “Okay. Um, but I don’t know what to tell you. Give me an easy question?”

 

Evie nods and thinks for a moment before asking, “What’s your favorite band? Or artist?”

 

Mal’s silent for a moment, and then, “Either Arctic Monkeys or Foster The People, what about you?”

 

“Those are really good choices,” Evie compliments, and then she promptly answers, “I’m not gonna pretend like I’m in my 20s and One Direction isn’t my favorite band, in case you were wondering.”

 

Mal laughs loudly at that, then, and Evie joins in.

 

“And I’m not gonna pretend like I don’t have all of their albums saved on my Spotify, either.” Mal says after a moment, and that makes Evie laugh even more. “I’ll have to kill you, now.”

 

“Aw, but their music is good. No shame in enjoying it,” Evie sniffs, and Mal chuckles.

 

“What’s your favorite movie?” Evie asks, then, and Mal thinks for a moment.

 

“For some reason, I can only think of kids’ movies.” Mal responds with a laugh, and Evie smiles at her and waits, “Um, I don’t know, actually. Probably Heathers.”

 

“Oh, that explains a lot about your high school self, actually.” Evie comments, and Mal gives her an eye roll and pushes her shoulder lightly with her free hand. Evie chuckles.

 

“What about you? What’s your favorite movie?”

 

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s, if you couldn’t tell by the huge framed poster hanged above the television,” Evie motions with her head, and sure enough, there it is. Mal laughs, feeling silly for not taking notice of the poster before.

 

“That’s very obvious, actually.”

 

“What? The poster, or that it’s my favorite movie?” Evie asks.

 

“That it’s your favorite movie.”

 

Evie grins, “I know. I bet you can guess my second favorite.”

 

It takes a beat, “Clueless.”

 

“Right on.” Evie laughs, and Mal joins her again, “You know what’s even better? Those two are also Audrey’s favorites.”

 

“That is honestly not surprising at all.” Mal nods, and Evie smiles at her response.

 

“Now, tell me something about yourself. Anything.” Evie says after a moment, and Mal sighs and nods, trying to think of anything that the brunette might not know about her.

 

She can only come up with one thing, “The person I dated before Ben, way into my first year of college, was a girl.” She tells Evie, “And we broke up because she didn’t get along with Uma and we take the Spice Girls’ instructions very seriously.”

 

Evie laughs at that, and then she nods, “Yeah, so do Audrey and I.” Mal smiles at her, and there’s a pause before, “So, a girl?”

 

“Yeah. Is that surprising?” When Evie takes a moment to finally shake her head no, Mal chuckles before asking, “Have you ever dated a girl?”

 

Evie gives her a smirk, “The only boy I’ve ever dated in my entire life was Chad when we were like, thirteen. And that lasted a week before we decided it was like dating a sibling.” Evie makes a disgusted face, then, and Mal laughs.

 

“Oh, God, Chad. Where is he nowadays?” She asks curiously, recalling the preppy jock that hanged around Audrey and Evie, becoming the third part of their clique.

 

Evie smiles at her tone, “Right now? He’s overseas, modeling,” She says, “Audrey and I Skype him once a week, but we’re always texting. We haven’t really lost touch with each other. Plus, I think Chad would’ve been dead in a ditch by now if it weren’t for us checking in everyday to make sure he’s still alive.”

 

Mal laughs at that, because that was definitely how their relationship seemed from the outside. “Does he live over there?”

 

“Here and there,” Evie says, “When he’s here he’s usually staying with his parents, because he travels a lot and there really isn’t a point in paying rent for a place he’s never in. Sometimes he crashes with us when his time in between modeling gigs is shorter.”

 

Mal nods and gives Evie a wary look, “So that means I’ll probably be reunited with Chad eventually?”

 

“Yeah, probably.” Evie wrinkles her nose, and she chuckles at Mal’s groan, “Don’t be like that, Chad’s not that bad.”

 

“You _have_ to say that, you’re his mother.”

 

Evie laughs out loud at that.

* * *

 

“Mal, can I ask you something a little personal?” Evie asks after a moment when their conversation dies down a bit, and Mal looks up at her again to see that Evie’s eyes are looking at her with quiet interest. The blonde nods, feeling comfortable with whatever it is that Evie might have to ask her, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what it was like when you found out you were pregnant with Lyla? I just… I can’t imagine going through something like that at such a young age.”

 

Mal’s eyes trail from Evie’s eyes to a random spot in the woman’s living room as she thinks back to those moments in her life and sighs before she opens her mouth to answer, “Terrifying. I had no idea what to do. I hate using the word accident to describe that situation, but at the end of the day, it kind of was the case, as much as I hate that word now. The thought of anyone thinking that Lyla wasn’t supposed to be in our lives makes me feel nauseous. Ben feels the same way.”

 

There’s a pause, and then she continues, “Ben was my rock throughout all of it, honestly. I don’t think he even knows how much he’s helped me through it all. I mean, Uma did too, _a lot,_ but Ben just… really became a father, then.” She smiles softly, her eyes a little out of focus, and Evie smiles as she listens to the woman before her, “When I told him, I was so fucking scared. We were still together at that point, and Uma kept telling me that Ben wouldn’t ever leave me behind in a moment like that, and I don’t know why I doubted that. When I finally told him, he was quiet for a moment before he like, took my hands in his and said he’d be with me no matter what. He never really broke that promise,” Mal smiles.

 

Evie smiles back, touched by the story and feeling strangely fond of a man she’s never even met before. “What made you guys decide you were better off as friends?”

 

Mal smiles sadly, “Stress. It’s a lot of work, this whole pregnancy thing.” She chuckles, and Evie smiles at her, “Plus, Ben being the youngest CEO in his family’s publishing company kind of put a lot of stress over his shoulders, on top of it all. And the media’s criticism of his dad’s choice to make him CEO wasn’t helpful at all. We realized the stress was putting a strain in our relationship and the only way we’d be able to actually stay friends through it all was to actually _be_ friends. And we never looked back. We managed to power through it all, and Ben’s the acting CEO of his family’s company for two years now and we have a beautiful little girl.”

 

“The world’s coolest friendship bracelet.” Evie comments in a soft tone, and Mal chuckles and nods. “Ben sounds like a great guy.”

 

“He’s the best,” Mal says, a smile on her face, “He’s very excited to meet you, by the way.”

 

“And I him.” Evie says. Mal smiles, and they’re silent for a moment before Evie speaks up, “By the way, Mal, I think you’re a great mother. I can’t imagine you not having Lyla.”

 

The smile Mal gives Evie is different this time – there’s appreciation, happiness, and something deeper that only Mal or Ben could really understand the meaning of. It makes Evie feel warm inside at being the one to put it there.

 

In that exact moment, almost as if sensing their conversation turning lighter, a theme song that was all too familiar to Mal’s ears but unfamiliar to Evie’s starts playing lowly from the television, and they both turn to face the screen only to smile widely at each other as the Adventure Time screen title appeared on the TV.

* * *

“I’m not being biased, but Princess Bubblegum is definitely my favorite.” Evie says in the middle of the episode.

 

Mal smiles softly at the television screen.

 

//

 

About two weeks after that night, Evie and Audrey find themselves knocking on Mal’s door on an early Saturday evening, and the moment the blonde opens the door to greet them is the moment Evie smothers Mal in a hug, Audrey chuckling under her breath at Mal’s surprised expression. Once she lets go of Mal, she turns to Audrey.

 

“Audrey, this is Mal from high school, Mal, this is Audrey.” She introduces playfully, “You guys know each other.”

 

Audrey and Mal chuckle at Evie’s antics and nod at each other with small smiles. Evie smiles at them before she remembers what they were here for. “So, where’s the little birthday girl?”

 

“Pouting on the couch,” Mal rolls her eyes, moving a little so the two women could see the Mal miniature with her arms crossed and a frown on her face as a few cartoon characters sing happily on the television screen. She’s wearing a white sweater under jean overalls, her blonde hair braided neatly, and her little feet are covered by light green socks.

 

She looks adorable, and Evie has to contain in her squeal at the sight.

 

“That what they mean by Terrible Threes?” Audrey asks, sounding endeared herself, and Mal sighs.

 

“God, I hope not.” Mal responds quietly, and Evie and Audrey chuckle.

 

“Can we go say hi?” Evie asks, and Mal nods.

 

“You guys were actually the first ones to get here.” Mal says, stepping aside to let them in further, “Uma and Harry are picking up the cake and the pizzas with Gil and Ben’s in charge of picking up the grandparents, so it might take them a little while to get here. Jay and Carlos live just across the hall, though, so if they knock, could you let them in? I have to finish getting ready.” Mal says all in one breath.

 

Evie nods, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter and grabbing Audrey’s to do the same.

 

The invitation to Lyla’s birthday party had been a little unexpected, admittedly. It wasn’t exactly a birthday party, as Mal emphasized a few times, but rather a small get together with Lyla’s family and Mal and Ben’s close friends. Lyla seemed to hold very little interest in birthday parties, and Mal intended to keep that up for as long as possible, not exactly looking forward to the time she’d have to arrange big birthday parties for her daughter that would ultimately result in a bunch of screaming kids running around and driving her mad.

 

Mal had called her earlier in the week and told her that Lyla had personally asked Mal to invite Evie and Evie’s friend – meaning Audrey – to come have cake and pizza with her on her birthday, and the two friends had been touched at being included in their tight knit group. Audrey, even more so, when the little girl didn’t even know her personally, only by pictures and stories that Evie told her.

 

Evie and Audrey walk towards the couch, and Evie sits down beside the pouting child as Audrey sits on the arm of the couch, her right arm resting just behind Evie’s head. “Hi, cutie. Are you having a good birthday?” Evie asks in an easy tone, as if nothing out of the normal was going on.

 

Lyla nods, but her pout becomes more prominent and she sniffs.

 

Evie decides to continue talking, “Lyla, this is my friend Audrey.”

 

The blonde girl looks up at Audrey, then, and there’s a tug in both women’s hearts at the sight of her brown eyes looking up at them as if she was about to burst into tears.

 

“Hi, Lyla. It’s very nice to finally meet you, sweetie.” Audrey greets with a soft tone, mimicking Evie’s approach, and Lyla sniffs and nods.

 

“You, too.” She says, quietly.

 

Audrey and Evie exchange looks before Evie turns back to the little pouting girl, “So, Lyla, did you get anything nice for your birthday already?”

 

Lyla looks at her for a moment before she nods, bringing a plushed toy to her lap so Evie could see it. “Mommy got me Marceline.”

 

Evie looks down at the toy on the little girl’s lap and smiles widely, recognizing it to be the vampire girl character from Adventure Time that Lyla had told her to be Mal’s favorite one, only to be confirmed later on when Mal and Evie had binge watched Adventure Time episodes on Netflix a few weeks ago when Mal had been over and the blonde had shushed her every time that particular character was on the screen.

 

“Wow, Lyla, she looks so cool,” Evie compliments, and she’s only half conscious of Audrey’s smile as she watches them interact silently, “Wanna know a secret?”

 

There’s a nod, and then, “She might be my second favorite character.”

 

Lyla looks up at her with wide uncertain eyes, as if she doesn’t know if she wants to show how excited she is by that information, and she asks, lowly, “Who’s your most favorite?”

 

“Princess Bubblegum, of course.” Evie says as if it was obvious, and she sees that Lyla’s trying to fight her smile. “But I really like Marceline’s songs.” She continues, hell-bent on getting a smile from the girl.

 

“Mommy knows how to sing all of them.” Lyla confides, “She sings ‘em all to me.”

 

“She does?” Evie asks, more than a little caught off guard by that remark. Audrey chuckles lowly behind her.

 

“Yeah. Mommy’s the _best_ singer.” She says confidently, “Daddy too. And Aunt Uma. They sing really good too.” She says as an afterthought, almost as if feeling guilty about leaving them out. Then, she turns to Evie, “Do you sing?”

 

“Evie sings all the time.” Audrey responds before Evie can, and Lyla looks up at her, “She sings _really good_ too.” She adds, repeating the younger girl’s words, and the blonde looks from Audrey to Evie as if asking Evie to confirm the information she’s been given. Audrey chuckles again and Evie tries to stop her smile from appearing on her face.

 

“It’s true.” Evie winks, and then, “Maybe I can sing something for you later, if you want.”

 

That gets her very first smile of the day from Lyla. The blonde girl grins up at her, excited, and Evie smiles back at her, happy to have succeeded on her mission of cheering the girl up. Lyla, seemingly forgetting she was supposed to be throwing a temper tantrum, scooches closer to Evie on the couch and leans the side of her body on the woman’s arm, holding her Marceline doll tightly against her chest.

 

Audrey smiles at the image.

* * *

Uma greets them with a teasing comment about a high school reunion as she enters Mal’s apartment with a light pink box in her hands that she carefully sets down on the kitchen counter followed by a guy with short brown hair and blue eyes carrying multiple pizza boxes in his arms, a smile on his face as Uma helps him set them down. And then lastly comes in a bulky man with shoulder-length blonde hair and an easy smile, who closes the door softly with his foot as he holds the drinks carefully in his strong arms. Uma introduces Audrey and Evie to her boyfriend, Harry, and their friend, Gil, as if they’re old friends from high school and Evie and Audrey quickly warm up to her, and in minutes they’re talking as if they were actually friends back then, Harry and Gil listening on to their conversation as they sat side by side on the floor, Harry with Lyla on his lap, the little girl’s head tucked underneath his chin as she watched TV.

 

Minutes later, Jay and Carlos arrive, and Lyla goes from Harry’s lap to Jay’s as the man settles down on the floor beside his friends as Uma introduces Carlos to Evie and Audrey.

 

The moment Mal walks out of her room is the moment the door knocks, and Mal makes a beeline to the door, smiling at her friends as she does so. She opens the door widely to reveal an older blonde Evie quickly recognizes as Mal’s mother and three other people she doesn’t know. Mal greets her mother with a hug and the older woman quickly pulls away and steps into the apartment to go find her little granddaughter, who’d been looking at her with a smile from her seat on Jay’s lap.

 

Evie’s attention turns back to Mal and the people at the door and she watches as an older couple steps in, carrying bags of gifts, and greet Mal with hugs and smiles before stepping in further to find the birthday girl, and then a guy that looks about their age steps in, a smile on his face as he greets Mal.

 

“That’s Ben.” Uma tells Evie in a stage whisper, and the brunette nods, having realized it herself.

 

Ben is taller than Mal and Evie can see a few of the characteristics in Lyla she couldn’t quite place before on his face, and with another look at a grinning Lyla, she realizes that she was right in thinking Lyla was a perfect mix of Mal and someone she didn’t know. Lyla was the spitting image of her parents.

 

It warmed Evie’s heart, a little.

* * *

It’s well into the night when Ben finally approaches Evie, a friendly smile on his face as he sits down beside her on a kitchen stool, the two of them overlooking the living room in front of them in silence for a moment.

 

Jay, Gil, Uma and Harry were on the floor in front of the television with Lyla, helping her set up her new toys as Carlos and Audrey talked on the couch. Mal was still sitting at the table with her mother and Ben’s parents, deep in conversation about something, and Ben had walked off from that same conversation when he’d noticed Evie sitting down by herself.

 

“I’m Ben,” The guy introduces himself finally, offering his hand for Evie to shake, and the brunette looks at him and smiles, shaking his hand.

 

“Evie.”

 

“Nice to finally meet you, Evie.” Ben says, and Evie thinks there’s definitely a lot of him in Lyla. His eyes are the same color as hers, and the way he smiles, even if Lyla’s lips are exactly like Mal’s, definitely have something that screams _Lyla_ about it.  

 

“You too, Ben.” She says, and they smile at each other for a moment before they turn back to the scene before them. Mal was now leaning over the couch to talk to her daughter, and Evie smiled softly as Lyla grinned up at her mother, excitedly showing her one of her new toys.

 

“You know, Evie, I was pretty curious to meet the woman Lyla was willing to share Princess Bubblegum with.” Ben says, his tone almost playful, and Evie looks up at him with a surprised look on her face. “Yeah, Lyla pretty much talked my ear off about you.”

 

When he notices a particular look on Evie’s face at that information, he adds, “Mal, too.”

 

The look in Evie’s face becomes more prominent, then, and Ben quickly recognizes it. He tries to stop his smile from growing as Evie asks, “Yeah?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Ben nods. He wasn’t even lying, “But I can see why. I mean, the sweater you guys made for Lyla is pretty incredible.”

 

Evie looks at Lyla, then, and at the pink sweater she was wearing under her overalls, having switched her white one for the one Evie and Audrey had presented her with.

 

_(“It’s Princess Bubblegum’s color!” Lyla had screeched excitedly once she had unwrapped the gift Evie had handed to her with a smile. Holding her arms up, she had looked up at Mal with a serious look on her face and said, “Mommy, help me switch.”)_

 

“Thank you. We put a pause on one of our designs for a client for like, a whole day to make that sweater happen.” Evie chuckles. Ben joins in.

 

“It looks incredible.” He nods, and then, “In fact, I was thinking about getting a few new suits specially made. You know where a guy can go for that?” He asks, playfully, and Evie gives him a modest smile.

 

“I think I know, yeah.” She nods, “I’ll ask Mal to text you my number so we can arrange that. Either Audrey or I can definitely get your measures and talk designs with you this week.”

 

“That sounds great, thank you.” Ben smiles, and Evie nods at him, a smile of her own on her lips, “Consider me officially part of the Evie fan club.”

 

Evie chuckles and shakes her head at him, and when Harry throws a joke at Ben from across the room and Ben responds by blowing him a kiss before winking at Evie and pulling her with him to join the fun in the living room, Mal watching them with a small smile as she settles down beside Audrey on the couch and Ben picks up his daughter from Harry’s hold and throws her over his shoulder with a smile, Evie decides that maybe she was also part of Ben’s fan club.

 

(And she could definitely see then what Mal meant when she said Lyla had definitely taken her charms after her dad.)

* * *

Later that night, after most of the guests save from Uma, Harry and Gil had left and the latter was currently passed out on the floor, a princess crown sitting crookedly on his head as he snored softly while Harry was putting Lyla to sleep and Uma and Mal cleaned the mess, Uma finally frees the comment that was practically begging to be released for weeks now, “So, you’ve been smiling a lot lately. I didn’t wanna say anything, but now I kinda have to. You’ve been suspiciously smiley.”

 

Mal frowns. “No, I haven’t.”

 

“Mhm, yes you have,” Uma says as she carefully sets a few glasses on Mal’s sink as the woman collects Lyla’s toys from the floor. “You’ve been smiling a lot at your phone, the kind of smile that only _Lyla_ gets out of you. And last I checked, baby Lyla doesn’t own a phone.”

 

“Where are you trying to get at?” Mal asks with a sigh, and Uma grins.

 

“Evie was here today.” Uma states, simply, and Mal knows exactly what she means. It’s not like Mal was letting random people into her daughter’s life like that.

 

“Lyla really likes Evie.” Mal chooses to say, and it’s that moment that Harry walks out of Lyla’s room. He grins at the statement, and Mal sighs, knowing she was in for it now.

 

“Oh, did ye hear that, love? Lyla _really likes_ Evie.” Harry teases, his accent combined with the sing-song of his tone making his words sound even more teasing to Mal. “ _Lyla_ likes Evie.” He emphasizes, and Uma laughs. Mal rolls her eyes at them.

 

When she sees that Harry is about to say something else, she aims a toy at his head and throws, smiling in victory when the toy hits the side of his head and he gasps. Uma laughs loudly at that, and Harry shushes her before he turns to Mal, grabbing the plushed toy from the floor and aiming it at her head. He makes to throw and she ducks, and she glares at him when he and Uma laugh at her, the toy still in his hand as he walks over to her and hands her the toy back.

 

Mal looks down at the pink colored toy in her hands then and smiles softly.

 

She’s broken out of her trance when Harry speaks up, “So, which one of us is gonna wake up Gil?”

 

“That’s your son,” Uma says from the kitchen counter, “You do it.”

 

Mal laughs at Harry’s groan.

 

* * *

Once the three leave, with Gil promising to get Lyla’s crown back to her as soon as he managed to untangle it from his hair; her house back to its normal state and Lyla’s toys piled up inside a brightly colored box on the corner of the living room, the blonde woman finally gets ready to sleep and call it a day. And it’s half an hour later, when she’s finally in bed and ready to sleep, that she hears the distinct sound of a door opening and then she feels something pulling at her bed sheets for a moment before she sits up and looks down at her little girl struggling to climb up her bed, her Marceline doll tucked under her arm. Mal smiles and helps her up, and then lies back down with her daughter snuggled up on her, her little head tucked under her chin as she breathed in the scent of her mother softly.

 

“Did you have a good day, bug?” Mal asks, softly, and she feels Lyla nodding against her chest. She smiles and kisses the top of her daughter’s head softly before she closes her eyes.

 

One of the most terrifying things about becoming a mother at such a young age was how many adjustments Mal had had to do to fit her tiny little human in it. With Lyla becoming front and center of all and every last one of Mal’s concerns, the older blonde had realized that little by little Lyla was stripping away all of the walls Mal had put up during her teen years, and where Mal usually frowned, she now smiled easily, and where she tried to fight her smile, she now laughed freely. It had happened slowly, but it was an obvious change that had happened as soon as Mal had seen Lyla’s little brown eyes looking up at her for the first time.

 

Nothing could ever compare to the way Mal felt about her daughter – the love, devotion and protectiveness she felt over this tiny human that had come out of her was unparalleled with anything else that Mal had ever felt in all of her life, and she knew the very moment she had seen her daughter for the first time exactly three years ago that Lyla was bringing something beautiful and insanely important in her life – change.

 

Sometimes the change that came with her wasn’t all that sweet in the beginning, like the end of her and Ben’s relationship. But then their relationship had blossomed into something beautiful – they were closer than they had ever been before, and Mal could honestly say that that would’ve never happened had it not been for Lyla.

 

But sometimes change was sweet. Lyla made Mal more vulnerable, more open and softer at the edges. Lyla got Mal to meet two of her great friends, Carlos and Jay, who had been her neighbors for a hot minute before Lyla had found out they had a puppy and the couple had taken an instant liking to Mal’s little girl, and by default, Mal (and Ben, too, of course).

 

Even Mal’s relationship with her mother had gotten better once she’d had her daughter. Maleficent had spent countless nights with Mal during her pregnancy and after it, giving her tips and helping her and Ben around when they needed it.

 

Lyla brings people together, Mal realizes. Whether conscious of the fact or not, everything seems to fall into place whenever she’s involved.

 

“My own little personal sun,” Mal whispers softly to her sleeping daughter and the girl only sighs in her sleep in response.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! One down, five more to go. Please let me know what you thought? Does this suck? I really hope not, because this is just the first part. It'd be awkward. 
> 
> Um, I don't know if anyone's interested, but I have a small list of songs that helped me shape this story and get in the mood for writing it all, and if anyone's interested, they are: Dandelions by Ruth B., Sit Next to Me by Foster the People, Kids by MGMT, Rollercoaster by Bleachers, Little of your Love by HAIM, Since We're Alone by Niall Horan, Bloom by Troye Sivan, Crashing Into You by Vance Joy, By Your Side by The 1975, All Over You by LEISURE, Just Like Heaven & Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure, and lastly, Ins and Outs by Sofia Carson, which is also what the fic is titled after. So, yeah. If you wanna get a feel of this story, I recommend those songs. But like, only if you want to. If not, then just ignore this.
> 
> Yeah. So. See you tomorrow. Also, come talk to me @evies-grimhildes on tumblr if you want. I'm nice.


	2. Part II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here's part 2, as promised! I hope you like this one! And thank you a lot for the positive comments on the first part, they made me really happy!
> 
> Enjoy!

Mal throws herself on the couch, sighing tiredly as she fixes her shirt, the faded letters signaling that the dark grey shirt was once upon a time a brand new Arctic Monkeys shirt. The blonde takes deep breaths as she takes in the peaceful silence in the apartment now that Lyla had finally caved and settled down for a nap – it hadn’t been an easy task, but Mal had managed it, and now the younger blonde was resting peacefully on her bed, surrounded by her favorite Adventure Time characters as she clutched her soft baby blue blanket that Ben had gotten her when she was born in her tiny fist.

 

Mal’s hair is piled up on top of her head in a messy bun, and Mal knows she should probably sort out the few toys scattered around the floor, but her willpower says otherwise as she grabs her phone from her sweatpants’ front pocket and unlocks it, opening her contacts app and scrolling down until she reaches Uma’s contact name and presses call.

 

She waits for a moment, until, “You’re calling instead of texting. What’s up? Did something happen?”

 

Uma’s voice holds genuine concern in spite of her playful words, and Mal sighs tiredly as she rubs her forehead with her free hand, staring at the ceiling of her apartment, “No, nothing happened. I’m just tired and can’t really be bothered with typing right now.”

 

“Rough day at work?” Uma asks sympathetically, and Mal can hear from the other end of the call that her friend was talking to her while watching television.

 

“Not really. I only had two classes this morning and they were mostly presentations, so it wasn’t a lot to deal with.”

 

There’s a moment of silence, and then, “Is it Lyla?”

 

Mal sighs again. “She’s in a mood today.”

 

“Isn’t that to be expected?” Uma asks, “With the three year olds, I mean.”

 

“Yeah, it is.” Mal nods, closing her eyes and taking another deep breath, “God, Uma, it’s exhausting. I know this is cliché, but I honestly don’t think I can hear the word  _ ‘why’ _ again.” There’s a soft chuckle on the other end at that, and Mal takes another breath before continuing, “I know I kinda sound like I don’t have any help, and I do, but I’m just-“

 

“Tired.” Uma finishes for her, and Mal nods, even if her friend can’t see her. “Mal, I get it. You’re young and you have a toddler to deal with. I can imagine it gets tiring, even with all the help you get. It’s perfectly normal.”

 

Uma’s words seem to ease up the guilt she felt at complaining a little, and the blonde allows herself to give a small smile in response to her words. Uma had always been Mal’s go to whenever she felt like the world was caving in and she felt overwhelmed by everything. Since they were kids, Uma would be the one listening to Mal whenever the blonde felt like she would explode if she didn’t just tell someone how she was feeling and Uma had always been the one she’d choose to speak to in times like these.

 

Uma offered a non-judgmental shoulder to cry on and (usually) helpful advice, and even if she didn’t quite understand what Mal was going through – especially because Uma didn’t really experience a pregnancy at 21 firsthand -, she would try to understand and try to help Mal in any way she could. Uma had been the first person Mal had told about her pregnancy, and she’d been the first person after Ben to hold baby Lyla in her arms. 

 

Mal only hoped she offered Uma even half of the support the woman gave her, and even more so, that she knew how much Mal appreciated having the woman in her life. Uma (and Harry) would move mountains for Lyla if Mal needed them to, and there aren’t any words to describe how important that was for Mal.

 

“Did you fall asleep on me?” Uma’s voice asks playfully, breaking Mal out of her thoughts and making the blonde chuckle under her breath.

 

“No, no. Just thinking.”

 

They’re in silence for a moment before Uma speaks up again, “Hey, Mal… Risking you hanging up on me, can I ask you something?”

 

Mal frowns, “Since when do you ask for permission?”

 

“Since now.” She can hear the eye roll on the other end, and it makes her smile, “Can I?”

 

“Go for it.”

 

“Have you thought about… getting back out there?”

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Just… dating again.” Uma elaborates carefully, and Mal holds her breath, “Have you thought about it?”

 

Mal pauses, “You know I don’t have time for that. It’s too complicated, and I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Maybe when Lyla’s older and the whole situation with her becomes easier to explain.”

 

“But are you okay with that?” Uma prods, “Like, you know that if you wanted to start dating again Ben would be supportive. Hell, we all would. You have a bunch of willing babysitters to look after her –“

 

“Uma,  _ no _ .” Mal interrupts her with finality, and Uma sighs on the other end. “Sorry, it’s just… I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Maybe later on.”

 

“Okay.” Uma says, and she seems satisfied with Mal’s answer. “So, how’s Evie?”

 

Mal doesn’t exactly understand the subject change, but she takes it anyway, “Um, she’s fine? I haven’t seen her yet this week, though.”

 

“Oh, I meant how’s your friendship with her going. I know I was teasing you about it the other day, but I’m genuinely really happy that you guys are friends,” Uma says, and it’s one of those rare moments where her voice is stripped away from all the playfulness and teasing and she just sounds genuine.

 

Mal smiles, “It’s going well. She’s a good friend. Um, she really likes Lyla and everyone else. She even got Ben’s phone number the other day because Ben wants them to make him his new work suits.” Mal chuckles, and there’s a beat on the other end of the phone call as Uma listens on with a smile on her face, completely unseen by her seemingly clueless best friend. “Uma?”

 

“Sorry, I got distracted by something on TV.” Uma lies, and Mal nods before she realizes Uma can’t see her.  _ (Why is she always doing that?) _ “Anyways, that’s great, Mal. Evie and Audrey are really cool. They seemed to get along with everyone just fine the other night.”

 

There’s a happy smile on Mal’s face when she says, “Yeah, they did.”

 

They’re in silence for another moment before Mal speaks up, “Anyway. How’s your day going?”

 

Uma happily launches into a story about how Harry and Gil are out for supplies to fix the bathroom sink after they somehow broke it trying to fix Uma and Harry’s showerhead earlier that day.

* * *

When Mal finally puts her phone down over an hour later, she feels more relaxed than she did earlier and she’s still chuckling at the one side of the conversation between Uma and Harry after he and Gil had gotten back from the store with the needed supplies to fix the bathroom that she had been able to hear.

 

When Mal sits up on the couch, she spots Lyla making her way towards her, stumbling slightly as she held her blanket in a fist and held Princess Bubblegum on the other hand. Her right cheek was slightly marked from being slept on and her hair was messy from moving during her sleep. She rubs at one eye with the hand that was holding the blanket and yawns softly.

 

Mal smiles, “Hey, baby.”

 

Lyla gives her a sleepy grin and walks a little faster until she reaches her mom. Mal pulls her on her lap and her smile widens when Lyla yawns again and nuzzles in, waking up slowly as she breathes in her mother’s scent.

 

Mal kisses her daughter’s head.

 

She was exhausted, but it was worth it.

 

//

 

Evie opens the door of their apartment, the brown paper bag with the groceries tucked in one arm, and she smiles when she sees Audrey sitting at the counter, completely focused on her sketchbook.

 

“Hi,” Evie greets, and Audrey looks up at her with a smile of her own.

 

“Hey.” She turns her attention back to her work as Evie walks towards the counter dividing their kitchen from their living room and sets down the grocery bag and her purse before walking towards the fridge to grab a water bottle.  

 

“What are you working on?” Evie asks curiously as she approaches her friend and her sketchbook.

 

“Ben’s designs.” Audrey answers, sliding the book closer to Evie so her friend can take a look, “What do you think?”

 

“Classy,” Evie says, studying her friend’s drawings, “And modern. I love it.”

 

“Yeah, that’s what I was going for.” Audrey nods, pulling the sketchbook back to her once Evie was done looking, “He was here again earlier to get his measurements and told me to say hi.”

 

Evie smiles as she uncaps the bottle, “Isn’t he just the nicest guy?”

 

Audrey smiles and nods, looking up at Evie again, “He is. You can totally see where Lyla got that cuteness from.”

 

There’s a pause as Audrey realizes what she just said and Evie looks at her friend with a smirk growing on her face as she watches the color rising on her friend’s cheeks. “Cuteness?”

 

“Shut up. You know what I meant,” Audrey says, sounding embarrassed, and Evie chuckles under her breath at her reaction.

 

“Do I?” Evie teases and Audrey rolls her eyes.

 

“ _ Stop.  _ I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“Alright, alright. I believe you.” There’s a pause in which Evie takes a gulp from her water bottle as she watches Audrey let out a relieved breath at her friend dropping the subject before Evie smirks and says, “So, Ben’s cute, huh?”

 

Audrey groans.

* * *

Later that night, while Audrey and Evie are sitting on the couch together watching a random episode of Friends on Netflix and munching on popcorn, Audrey’s phone beeps from where it rests on the arm of the couch and Evie watches from the corner of her eye as Audrey’s face lights up with a smile as she looks at the notification.

 

“Who’s that?” She asks, already knowing the answer before Audrey gives her one.

 

“Ben.” Audrey says, rolling her eyes when Evie smirks. “He’s just texting me to ask about how his suits are coming.”

 

“Mhm.” Evie says, and when she senses Audrey’s glare, she chuckles, “What? I believe you.”

 

“You’re so annoying.”

 

“I didn’t do anything!” Evie laughs, “If you say that’s all he’s texting you for at 10PM on a Wednesday night when he’s just been here this afternoon, then I totally believe you.”

 

The only answer Audrey gives her is popcorn thrown at her face.

 

//

 

It’s barely past one in the afternoon when Evie’s phone buzzes with an incoming call.

 

She sets her mug down and picks up on the third ring, “Hello?”

 

“Hi, Evie? _ Lyla, please put that down _ .”

 

Evie smiles, “What’s up, Mal?”

 

“Hi, sorry, it’s just – I had to fill for another teacher last minute and –  _ Lyla, please, put that back _ , and as you can probably tell, I had to bring Lyla with me –“

 

“Do you want me to pick her up for you?” Evie offers, and there’s a sigh.

 

“I really wouldn’t be asking if I had no other choice, I  _ swear _ , but Ben’s super busy at work today and everyone else and her back-up babysitter are as well and I honestly can’t take her back to her daycare right now –“

 

“Mal, breathe. It’s okay. I really don’t mind, that’s why I offered.” Evie interrupts her friend, “Will she be okay with it?”

 

“Yeah. She loves you.”

 

Evie grins widely at that, “She does?”

 

“Yeah, she does. Um, Evie, I’m sorry but – _Lyla,_ _put that down –_ I’ve gotta go –“

 

Evie smiles, “I’m on my way there, don’t worry. Text me the address?”

 

“You’re my hero. I will. Thank you so much.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

* * *

Evie arrives at the high school Mal works at not long after the distressed phone call from her friend, a text message she’d gotten a few minutes before telling her that Lyla could be found at the gym with Gil, who Evie learned was the school’s sports’ coach, as Mal had to get started with her class and the man had a short window of time to look after Lyla until Evie got there.

 

Evie finds the gym easily enough, and when she walks into the empty space she finds the cutest image she’s ever seen – Lyla is sitting at the top of Gil’s shoulders, a basketball on her hands as she messily tries to get it through the hoop. Gil cheers with a laugh when the ball barely makes it near the hoop.

 

Evie watches as Lyla giggles excitedly as Gil removes her from his shoulders and holds her upside down, her legs over one of his shoulders as he laughs with her. Evie chuckles under her breath when Gil turns her around in a quick movement and holds her under one arm, making airplane sounds with his mouth.

 

Lyla’s hair is wild and her cheeks are flushed pink when Gil turns her into Evie’s direction and the blonde girl catches sight of her standing by one of the bleachers. Her eyes widen in excitement.

 

“Evie!” She exclaims, happy, and Gil looks up at her with a smile of his own.

 

“Hi, sweetie.” Evie greets, and she chuckles in amusement as Gil struggles to right the girl up in his arms with all of her kicking to try and free herself from his grasp so she could run towards the woman. He chuckles and asks her to calm down so he can put her down, and the little girl complies, all the while sending Evie a huge smile from Gil’s arms.

 

“Are you ready to come with me?” Evie asks, and Lyla nods happily as Gil fixes her ponytails with his free hand. She giggles when he tickles her face with the end of one of them. “Hi, Gil.”

 

“Hi, Evie.” Gil greets, a smile of his own on his face, “Mal know you’re here already?”

 

Evie shakes her head. “No, should I go and tell her that I’m taking her?”

 

Gil nods, “That’d be nice. I offered to look after Lyla until you got here but I have to rush to the next period. Do you know where her classroom is?” When Evie shakes her head no, Gil quickly explains the way to Mal’s classroom and Evie listens with attention. Once he’s done, he sets Lyla down and smiles when the girl gives his leg a hug before she rushes to Evie, stumbling once and giggling when Evie readily catches her before she falls.

 

“See you soon, Evie.” Gil says as Evie begins to leave, and then he says with a grin, “Bye, Lyla!”

 

“Bye!” Lyla waves with the hand that isn’t holding Evie’s, and Evie and Gil smile and nod at each other as Evie leaves the gym, Lyla’s hand in hers.

* * *

She finds Mal’s classroom easily with the instructions that Gil had given her, and she watches through the window in the door for a moment as Mal speaks to a class full of teenagers, giving them what looked like clear instructions of what to do. Evie’s a bit mesmerized at how confident and at ease Mal looks in front of all those teens, and something tugs at her heart when she sees that Mal’s made the class laugh at something she said.

 

Lyla tugs at her hand, as if to get her attention, and Evie quickly snaps out of it and chuckles under her breath at being caught staring by the woman’s daughter. She shakes her head a little and raises her fist, giving the door a soft knock.

 

Mal turns towards the door and grins when she sees Evie through the window, and she gives the class one final instruction before she walks towards the door and opens it, stepping out into the hallway as she leaves the door half open behind her. From inside, they can hear the murmurs as the teens begin to follow Mal’s orders.

 

“Hey,” Evie greets, pulling Mal into a hug with her free arm, and Mal responds right away, her two arms tightening behind Evie’s back for a second before she pulls away.

 

“Thank you so much for this, Evie. Seriously. You’re a life saver.”

 

“Please, what are friends for?” Evie waves her off with a smile and Mal bites her bottom lip for a second, “So, when do you think you’ll be done?’

 

“I have no idea,” Mal responds with a sheepish look, “Is that a problem? I’m sorry, but it’ll definitely be before six. Again, I’m sorry for this –“

 

“Stop apologizing.” Evie says grabbing Mal’s wrist and looking into her eyes to emphasize her statement. “I told you that it’s no problem, and it really isn’t.”

 

Mal bites her lips again, “Okay. Thank you.”

 

“And stop thanking me.” Evie says with amusement and Mal gives her an apologetic smile.

 

The blonde fishes out a set of keys from her pocket and quickly pulls one of the keys from the ring, “Here, take her to mine. All her toys are there and they should keep her distracted until either I can go home or Ben can come pick her up before that.” She says handing Evie the key and the brunette nods. “Seriously, thank you for this.”

 

“Mal.” Evie gives her a look and Mal chuckles. The blonde woman bends down so she’s eye-level with her daughter.

 

“Be nice to Evie, okay?”  She says, tugging at her daughter’s shirt as the girl nods, “And listen to her, alright? Just like you do with aunt Uma or your uncles.”

 

“Okay, mommy. I will.” Lyla nods, holding out her pinky in front of her. Evie smiles when Mal loops her daughter’s pinky finger with her own.

 

“Alright. Have a good day, yeah? Sorry mommy can’t spend it with you.” Mal says, and she looks like she’s genuinely sorry. Lyla gives her a smile.

 

“’S okay mommy.” She leans forward and pecks her mother’s cheek quickly, “I love you.”

 

“And I you.” Mal says, and then she’s back to her normal height and giving Evie a concerned look, “I won’t make a habit out of this, I promise.”

 

“Mal. Seriously. It’s fine.” Evie says sincerely, and Mal nods as she turns to go back into the room. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Evie watches as Mal grins and waves in response before closing the door of the classroom behind her.

 

//

 

It’s a few minutes after four that afternoon when Mal walks into her apartment with a relieved sigh. The house is quiet save from the soft murmur of the television in the living room, and Mal looks at the couch to find the sweetest image possible – Evie is passed out on the couch, her head on a soft pillow and her hair sprawled out, her arms wrapped tightly around Lyla’s back, the little girl’s body on top of Evie’s, one of her legs between the back of the couch and Evie’s hips and the other in between her thighs. Her head is resting on Evie’s collarbone, her lips in a pout as she breathes in time with Evie, one arm on top of Evie’s and the other to the side of the couch, her hand opened slightly, her Finn toy on the floor.

 

Mal grins at the image as she slips out of her boots and sets her work bag down on the counter, and she tip toes to the living room, fishing her phone out as she opens the camera app and takes a picture of the scene before her. She locks her phone quickly when Evie sighs, and waits for a moment for the woman to wake up. When she doesn’t and instead only pulls Lyla closer to her, Mal smiles softly at the action and decides that she could probably squeeze in a quick shower before Evie or Lyla woke up from their naps.

* * *

After showering, Mal gets dressed comfortably and walks out of her bedroom and towards the living room, looking for the remote control of the television and quickly finding it next to Evie’s face. She grabs it carefully and turns off the TV, and the lack of background noise seemingly wakes Evie from her slumber.

 

She opens her eyes and blinks slowly up at Mal, “You’re home.”

 

Mal nods, “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you –“

 

“It’s okay.” Evie sighs and loosens up her grip on Lyla’s back a little, “What time is it?”

 

“Almost five.” Mal responds quietly, trying to let Lyla sleep for a little more. Evie nods softly.

 

“Can you get Lyla? I really need to pee,” Evie says after a moment and Mal chuckles along with her and nods. Mal sets to remove her sleeping daughter off Evie carefully. It takes her a moment, but soon Lyla is in her arms and Evie is up and off towards the bathroom.

 

Not long after that, Evie walks out of the bathroom to find Mal and Lyla sitting on the couch, Lyla on Mal’s lap as the older blonde listens to her daughter telling her about her afternoon with Evie with a soft voice from sleep and a smile on her face.

 

“I should probably get going,” Evie says after a moment, leaning against the kitchen counter with a smile as she watches the two women look up at her at the same time with similar frowns on their faces.

 

“What? No! Stay. I’ll order pizza for dinner,” Mal says, and Lyla cheers at that. The two women laugh.

 

“I don’t know…” Evie trails off, biting her lip.

 

“C’mon, stay.” Mal insists, and then she whispers something to Lyla. The little girl grins before she pouts.

 

“Please, Evie?” She asks, and Evie gives Mal a look for using her daughter as a weapon, “We can watch movies and play more! And eat pizza!”

 

“Well, with all those offers, how could I say no?” Evie smiles.

 

Mal and Lyla cheer.

* * *

 

For the second time that day, Evie blinks at Mal from the couch as the woman stands up with her daughter in her arms to take her to her bedroom. And for the second time that day, Evie asks her what time it was.

 

“A little past midnight.” Mal answers quietly as to not wake her daughter, and Evie sighs as she sits up. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Evie nods and watches Mal leave the room with a sleeping Lyla in her arms. It doesn’t take long for Mal to return, her arms child-free, and throw herself down on the couch with a sigh.

 

“Now I should probably go.” Evie says, her tone punctuated by a yawn, and Mal shakes her head from where she’s sitting on the couch across from her.

 

“No way. It’s late and you’re tired. That’s not a good combo,” Mal says, and when she sees that Evie’s about to protest, she asks, “Do you have anything to do tomorrow morning?”

 

Evie shakes her head no, and Mal nods with finality, “Then you’re staying. I’ll make the couch up properly for you. It’s the least I can do.”

 

“You sure?” Evie asks, another yawn making its appearance and making both women chuckle.

 

“Absolutely. It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me today.”

 

“Don’t be silly. You don’t owe me anything.”

 

“Still,” Mal shrugs.

 

“Okay, then. But could you get me something to sleep in? I hate sleeping in jeans.” Evie says, wrinkling her nose as she tugs on the corners of her jeans and Mal nods, standing up and vanishing from the living room to grab her something comfortable to sleep in.

 

She returns with a pair of pajamas in a moment and hands them to Evie, “Here you go. I’ll go grab the things to make the bed for you while you change.”

 

Evie nods and thanks her, and to Mal’s surprise, she doesn’t wait until the other woman is out of the living room before she pulls her shirt over her head. Mal gapes for a second, a little stunned at the sudden view of Evie’s stomach and bra, and it’s another moment before she catches herself staring – thankfully unnoticed by a sleepy Evie – and is out of the living room before Evie could even think about taking off her bra. Mal quickly grabs the sheets and the extra pillow for Evie, and she waits for a moment by the door of her room to give Evie enough time to get changed and  _ not  _ flash Mal with any other bit of skin, even if unconsciously.

 

By the time Mal makes it back to the living room, Evie’s sitting down on the arm of the couch, waiting for Mal to come back with the sheets, and Mal only barely notices how her clothes looked just a tad bit shorter on Evie, but still loose enough that they were comfortable to sleep in.

 

The brunette yawns and steps aside so Mal can get the couch ready for her to sleep in.

 

“I hope this is comfortable,” Mal says as she makes up the couch, “I’m sorry for roping you into this, by the way –“

 

“Mal, we’ve talked about this. It’s okay. I helped because I wanted to, and I stayed because I wanted to. You didn’t rope me into anything,” Evie says, sleepily, and Mal sighs, “Besides, I had a lot of fun today. I like being around you guys. You and Lyla are kind of awesome, if you didn’t know.”

 

Mal smiles warmly at that, but then it turns into a yawn that Evie echoes. They chuckle at each other. 

 

“Okay, all set.”

 

Evie nods and takes her hands to Mal’s shoulders, forcibly moving her towards her bedroom, “Now, you go to bed. I’m all settled here and you need to rest.”

 

“Okay. Goodnight, E.”

 

Evie smiles at the little nickname, “Night, M. Thanks for the bed.”

 

//

 

Evie blinks slowly, half-awake in a sleepy haze as she tries to gather her whereabouts and what exactly had pulled her from her slumber, and it’s only a moment before she feels a warm hand on her cheek. She opens her eyes fully, then, and comes face to face with a grinning Lyla.

 

“Evie,” Lyla whispers softly, “Hi.”

 

Evie blinks again, and then she feels the hand come back on her cheek as if to make sure she’s awake, “ _ Evie. _ ” Lyla repeats, and Evie opens her eyes again.

 

“Mornin’, Lyla.” She all but slurs sleepily, and Lyla grins again. “What time is it?”

 

“I dunno, I  _ just  _ learned how to count.” Is the response she gets, and Evie chuckles at that. She reaches out for her phone on the coffee table and looks at the time – barely past 6AM. She stops herself from groaning.

 

One of the beautiful things about having your own business? You could be awake after 7AM if you wanted to. And Evie  _ always _ wanted to. But she guesses that’s kind of a choice that’s inexistent when you live with a toddler, and her heart goes out to her friend as the thought downs on her. No wonder Mal was addicted to coffee, she muses.

 

_ That’s it. Coffee. _

 

Coffee’s the answer.

 

Deciding to leave the impromptu bed on Mal’s couch and entertain the very much awake toddler, Evie sits up and rubs at her eyes for a moment. “Well, c’mon, cutie. Let’s make some breakfast, but we have to be really quiet because your mom’s still sleeping.”

 

Lyla nods and stands, grabbing Evie’s hand impatiently as she drags the older woman towards the bathroom, whispering to her that she could borrow her strawberry flavored toothpaste if she wanted to.

 

Evie chuckles and allows herself to be led.

* * *

“Mommy!”

 

Evie looks up from her phone as she sits on the kitchen counter with her second mug of coffee in front of her, Lyla sitting on her special chair as she nibbled on the pancakes Evie had prepared for her.

 

Lyla squirms in the seat a little, as if trying to get out of it to rush towards her mother, but stops when she realizes it’s no use. Before she could start crying or throwing a tantrum, which is what both women knew would happen, Mal charged towards her daughter and leaned down to give her daughter a loud peck on her cheek, making the little girl giggle happily at the attention.

 

“Your cheek tastes like syrup,” Mal tells her, and Lyla giggles and brings her little syrup covered hands up to her mother’s eye level. “Your hands too, I’ll bet.”

 

Lyla giggles again and nods, bringing her hands to her mouth. “Why don’t you eat your pancakes instead of your fingers, sweetie? I think you’ll like those more.”

 

Lyla complies, and Mal and Evie watch with a grin as the girl ignores her plastic fork and takes a pancake to her mouth with her own hands.

 

“You should’ve woken me,” Mal says as a greeting, and Evie rolls her eyes.

 

“Don’t be silly, you needed the sleep.” Evie says, and Mal frowns.

 

“Dude, I feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I feel like I should be paying you for your services or something.” She confesses, and it’s Evie’s turn to frown, almost offended.

 

“Do you pay Uma? Or Carlos and Jay?” When Mal shakes her head sheepishly, Evie nods resolutely, “Well, then, there’s no reason for you to feel like you need to pay  _ me. _ I’m your friend, Mal. Friends do these things for each other without expecting a reward.”

 

Mal gives her a small smile, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

 

Evie gives her a smile back, and then she says, “There’s coffee in the pot and pancakes waiting for you, as well.”

 

Mal smiles widely at that, “You’re the best. Seriously.”

 

Evie rolls her eyes at that but smiles as she watches Mal rush towards the coffee pot and prepare herself a mug. “So, did the little syrup monster behave herself this morning?”

 

Evie chuckles at the nickname as she looks at the smaller blonde, who was currently chewing on a pancake piece with a focused look on her face. She chuckles again, “She did. Helped me make the pancakes and everything. Then she cried about having to eat them, but stopped as soon as I put the syrup in front of her.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Mal nods, smiling as she watched her daughter take another bite of the pancake in her hands.

 

There’s a moment of silence between the three of them before Lyla breaks it, “Mommy, music, please?”

 

“Sure, bug.” Mal nods, fishing out her phone from her pajama pants’ pocket and unlocking it. “What do you wanna hear?”

 

“ _ That _ song, mommy!” Lyla says, and Mal smiles, knowing exactly which song she meant. Lyla cheers once she recognizes the opening chords of her favorite Foster the People song playing from Mal’s speakers. She shakes her head from side to side, as if dancing to the song, and the older blonde chuckles fondly as her baby daughter listens to the song happily as she chews on her pancake.

 

They’re in silence for a moment, watching Lyla with a smile as the song plays on, and when the song nears the chorus, the younger blonde looks up at her mother in anticipation, “Mommy, sing!”

 

Mal pauses, looking at Evie and finding the older woman watching her with an expectant grin. She shakes her head, “Sorry, baby, but mommy’s throat is kinda sore today.” She lies, not exactly feeling comfortable with singing in front of Evie just yet. 

 

“What’s that mean?” Lyla asks, confused, a pout forming on her face.

 

“It means my throat hurts when I sing.” Mal answers, and Lyla’s pout gets bigger as her eyes fill with tears.

 

“Forever?” Lyla asks, her voice breaking a little, and Mal almost feels bad about causing that with her lie.  _ Almost.  _ (Don’t judge her - she just  _ really  _ didn’t want to sing in front of Evie.)

 

“No, baby. Just today. I’ll be able to sing tomorrow.” Mal assures her, and Lyla nods, visibly relieved at that. She sniffles.

 

“Okay.” She nods, and then she turns to a quiet Evie, “Can you sing?”

 

“Sure, angel.” Evie says, sending Mal a wink, “But I don’t know this song.”

 

Lyla frowns. “No?”

 

“Sorry, sweetie. Can I sing some other song?” She asks, and Lyla thinks for a moment before she nods. Evie turns to Mal with a raised eyebrow, “Mal?”

 

Mal nods and scrolls through her Spotify playlist before she finds a song and smirks as she hits play. Lyla cheers when she recognizes the One Direction song and Evie rolls her eyes at Mal but smiles nonetheless, making good on her promise to Lyla and starting to sing her the song softly.

 

Mal and Lyla watch, almost in a trance, as Evie sings the song to the little girl, a smile on her face as she does so. Evie’s voice sounds like nothing Mal’s ever heard before. Her voice is soft, and smooth, and just like everything else about Evie,  _ beautiful _ .

 

Soon, maybe too soon, the song is done, and Evie’s smiling at a cheering Lyla. “Other! Other!”

 

“No, Lyla. Let Evie finish her breakfast and finish your own breakfast.” Mal says, snapping out of her trance, and she sighs when Lyla pouts. “Don’t pout at me, you already got your song, bug. Now, what do you say to Evie?”

 

Lyla turns to Evie, “Thanks, Evie.”

 

“You’re welcome, sunshine.” Lyla smiles at the nickname and Mal gives Evie a thankful smile. Evie winks. “And  _ you  _ owe us a song. I know you can sing.”

 

“Nope. I sing for Lyla only.” Mal says, taking a sip of her coffee, and Lyla giggles. Mal winks at her.

 

“Lyla, will you let your mom sing for me once?” Evie asks, pouting, and Mal watches in horror as Lyla nods happily, a drop of syrup on her nose. Evie turns to her with a grin, “She said it was okay.”

 

“Absolutely not.” Mal shakes her head.

 

“I’ll get you to sing for me sometime, you’ll see.” Evie promises, and Mal decides not to say anything in response. Partly because she knows Evie is right.

 

They’re in silence for another moment as they finish their breakfast before Mal speaks up again, “So, do you wanna shower?”

 

Evie nods, “After you, though. I’ll watch Mini Mal.”

 

“Mini Mal?”

 

“Yeah,” Evie nods, a grin on her face, “She looks so much like a cute little version of you that it breaks my heart a little.” Mal can’t help the grin from forming on her own face at that, then, and they look at each other for a moment with matching grins on their faces before Evie breaks their eye contact, “Go on, then. Shower.”

 

“Bossy.” Mal says, setting her empty mug on the counter as she does.

 

“Shut it.” Evie rolls her eyes, “Do as I say.”

 

Mal gives her a mock military salute before she walks out of the kitchen, and she smiles when Evie’s laughter follows after her.

* * *

Evie’s rinsing the last of the breakfast dishes when there’s a tug on her pants and she looks down to find Lyla looking up at her, an urgent look on her face. “What’s up, cutie?”

 

“Can you help me please?” She asks, “I did something.”

 

Evie pauses, “What did you do, honey?”

 

“I dropped something.” She says, tugging at Evie’s pants again, “Mommy won’t like it.”

 

Evie’s stomach drops, preparing herself for the worst as she asks, “What did you do, Lyla?”

 

Lyla’s eyes widen, “I dropped my toys,” She says, softly, “I made a mess. Mommy doesn’t like it when I do messes with my toys, Evie.”

 

Lyla’s brown eyes are so wide and sincere that Evie can’t help herself, she laughs. She dries her hands in a dish cloth and pulls Lyla up in her arms, the girl’s little arms wrapping around Evie’s neck as she says, “Will you help me?”

 

The younger blonde looks so much like her mother, then, that Evie can’t help herself. She gives her a peck on her cheek before nodding, “Yes, baby. I’ll help you.”

* * *

When Mal walks out of the bathroom, she finds Evie and Lyla on the living room floor, giggling to each other as the television in front of them plays a cartoon they’re not really paying attention to, Lyla lying down between Evie’s legs, looking up at the woman as she giggles loudly and squirms from side to side as she tries to escape Evie’s tickling hands.

 

When Evie notices that Lyla’s about to lose her breath, she pauses her tickling and leans down to blow a raspberry on the little girl’s tummy and make her squeal with laughter again.

 

Mal’s heart, for whatever reason, kickstarts against her chest at that.

* * *

Later that day, while Mal helps Lyla pack for the weekend at Ben’s, Evie having left before lunch, Mal looks at her daughter and asks, “Did you have a good time with Evie, baby?”

 

Lyla looks up at her from where she’s sitting on her bed, her Adventure Time toys on her lap as she waits for her mother to finish packing her bag. She nods, “Yes! The most fun!”

 

Mal smiles, and then Lyla continues, “We had pancakes, and pizza. No, wait. Pizza first, then sleep, then pancakes.” She nods to herself, as if making a mental checklist of her activities. 

 

“I know, buddy, I was there.” Mal chuckles, and Lyla giggles at her as she holds Princess Bubblegum to her chest.

 

“I like Evie.”

 

“Wanna know a secret, bug?” Mal asks with a smile. When Lyla nods excitedly, she says, “She likes you too. She told me herself.”

 

The grin Lyla gives her is blinding.

 

//

 

A few weeks later, Evie walks into a silent apartment one late afternoon and frowns, having expected to find her best friend and roommate in the living room. 

 

“Audrey?” She calls, and when there’s no answer, she calls for her friend again. Still no answer.

 

She walks further into the room and sets her bags on the counter, taking notice then of the pink colored paper sitting on top of it, held in place by a flower vase, and she carefully pulls it from under the crystal vase and reads the note in her friend’s handwriting.

 

_ Going out tonight. Don’t wait up bc I might not be back until morning lol xx _

 

Rolling her eyes and smirking at her friend’s antics, she sets the note down and can’t help but wonder who Audrey had gone out with. It was obviously a date, and the fact that her friend hadn’t exactly given her any information as they usually did whenever they were going out made Evie’s suspicions grow. She had an inkling feeling that she knew just who Audrey was meeting with, but she wouldn’t say or assume anything until Audrey came to her with the truth. 

 

Fishing out her phone from the purse she had taken to the mall, she unlocks it and opens her contacts app, scrolling down until she finds Mal’s name and presses call.

 

Mal answers on the fourth ring, “Hello?”

 

“Are you with Lyla?” Evie asks as a greeting, and there’s a pause.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Great. Do you guys have any plans for tonight?”

* * *

Evie opens the door quickly when she hears the knock, and she smiles widely as she takes in the sight of Mal and Lyla holding hands.

 

“Hi!” She says excitedly, pulling Mal into a tight hug.

 

“Hey,” Mal says, patting Evie’s back softly before pulling away. Evie beams at her before she feels a tug on one of her fingers and looks down to meet Lyla’s excited brown eyes as the blonde grins up at her happily.

 

“Hi, sweetie.” Evie greets, and Lyla lets go of the finger she had grasped in her tiny fist to instead make grabby hands at Evie. Getting the message, she leans down and picks the girl up in her arms, squeezing her tight as the girl giggles at her.

 

She begins to walk into the house with the little girl in her arms, both of them giggling at something Evie had whispered to her, and Mal watches with a small smile as she walks in behind Evie and closes the door softly.

* * *

“Where’s Audrey?” Mal asks curiously from her spot on the couch, taking a sip of the glass of wine that Evie had given her a few minutes after they’d settled in after arriving. Lyla was currently sitting down on the soft rug of Evie and Audrey’s living room, her attention completely taken by the cartoon on the television as both women sat behind her on the couch, talking quietly as to not disturb the toddler and her show.

 

“She’s on a date, I think,” Evie says, taking a sip of her own glass. “Told me to not wait up for her, so I think she’s optimistic.”

 

Mal and Evie chuckle at that, and they’re in silence for a moment as they turn their attention to the television. The commercial is on, but Lyla doesn’t look away from it either, thoroughly engaged. When a particular commercial comes on, Evie jumps with a squeal, gathering the attention of Mal and Lyla. She hands Mal her glass as she says with a smile, “I almost forgot!”

 

She stands up from the couch as the two watch her curiously, Lyla’s body twisted weirdly on the floor. Evie brings out a bag from the corner of the room and walks back towards the couch, pulling out a box wrapped in a colorful gift paper from inside the bag, and Mal watches as Lyla perks up curiously at that, knowing her spidey senses were tingling. She smirks amusedly.

 

“I was at the mall today and I passed by the store and saw this… I couldn’t not.” Evie says as she looks from Mal to Lyla, holding the box in her hands. Lyla stands up quickly, walking towards Evie with a curious look on her face. She pauses just in front of the older woman and bites her lip.

 

“This for me?” She asks, pointing at the box and then at herself. Evie grins and nods, handing the box to the girl and smiling when she grins happily and squeals.

 

“Evie…” Mal starts, but Evie shushes her, already knowing what the woman was going to say. “You didn’t have to.”

 

“True. But I wanted to, so be quiet.” Evie says, not taking her eyes from Lyla as the younger blonde sits down cross legged on the floor, the box on her lap as she carefully and slowly sets to unwrapping the gift. She looks up at Evie and Mal just before she pulls the last gap, and when the two women nod at her to go on, she does so and gasps once she sees what was under the paper.

 

“Look, mommy! It’s Jake!” She exclaims, holding the box up so Mal could see. Mal smiles when she sees the box holding the plushed toy inside, “I have almost all of them, now! And and and – and Finn has Jake!” She says, excited, and Mal grins and nods at her.

 

“Yes, bug. You do!” Mal says, and she watches with a smile as Lyla looks at the toy inside the box with wide, happy eyes. “Now, what do you say to Evie for giving you and Finn your Jake?”

 

Lyla looks up at Evie, her eyes still wide and she bites her lips, “Thanks, Evie.” She says shyly, before she gets up from the floor, the box awkwardly hanging under one arm as she charges back to Evie and leans up, pecking her cheek quickly before she turns to her mom, “Help me open?”

 

Mal grabs the box with a smile, feeling endeared at the sight of a grinning Evie and a wide eyed Lyla.

* * *

“Mommy?” Lyla asks from the back of the car later that night, rubbing at her eyes sleepily with one hand as the other clutched her newest Jake toy closer to her chest, which was secured by the seatbelt of her baby seat. Mal hums, and Lyla continues, “Is it Christmas?”

 

Mal smiles, “No, bug. Christmas is not for another eight months.”

 

There’s a pause, and then, “How many is eight months?”

 

“It goes one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight. Just like the song.” Mal says, and Lyla nods as she lets out a yawn.  “Why do you ask?”

 

“’Cos Evie gave me a present.” Lyla says, holding the Jake doll closer to her chest. “I thought it was Christmas.”

 

Mal chuckles, “No, baby. Evie gave you Jake because she thought you’d like it and because she likes you. Like mommy and daddy and your aunt Uma and your other uncles give you presents and Jane gives you chocolate cake?” Mal says, and Lyla thinks for a moment before she nods.

 

“Can we give Evie somethin’ too, mommy?” Lyla asks, her eyes drooping sleepily. Mal nods at her through the rearview mirror and Lyla grins sleepily for a second before she blinks and doesn’t open her eyes again, giving in to her slumber.

* * *

The next time they see Evie, Lyla hands her a card she herself had fashioned using her mother’s art supplies – under Mal’s watchful eye, of course - with a huge grin and a  _ “because we like you!”  _ thrown into a lot of babbling and rambling about the card and how she made it, and Evie grins widely at the toddler as she accepts it and Mal could  _ swear  _ she saw a tear running down Evie’s face.

 

Evie leans down and gives Lyla’s forehead a long kiss after she opens the card, and Lyla grins up happily at her mother, clearly considering her mission a success.

 

//

 

Ben knocks on her door on a Friday afternoon, and Mal greets him with a smile that dimmers a little when she notices the nervous look on his face.

 

“What’s up?” She says as a greeting, and Ben visibly gulps before he speaks up, his hands in his pockets.

 

“Um, can we talk?” He asks, and Mal nods before stepping aside and letting him in. Lyla looks up from the couch she was sitting on at the sound of her dad’s voice, and she quickly stands with a grin on her face.

 

“Daddy! Ready to go?” She asks, struggling to pull the bag from the couch. She looks at him as if silently asking him to help her. He gives her a smile as he leans down and kisses the top of her head.

 

“Hold on, sweetie. I need to talk to your mom about something first, okay?” He asks softly, and Lyla looks up at him curiously.

 

“Lyla somethin’?” She asks, and he and Mal chuckle before Ben shakes his head.

 

“No. Adults something.” He says, wrinkling his nose as if in disgust, and Lyla giggles at him. He smiles, “Just stay here, okay? I won’t be long, and then we can go.”

 

Lyla nods, climbing back up on the couch and watching as her parents walk into the kitchen.

 

“So, what’s up?” Mal asks once she’s sure Lyla’s not paying attention to them anymore. Ben sits down on a kitchen stool and Mal stands across from him, watching as Ben avoids her eyes for a moment before he clears his throat. “You’re kinda freaking me out.”

 

Ben meets her eyes then, giving her a nervous chuckle, “Sorry, sorry. It’s just – well, it’s two things, actually, and they’re not like, bad or anything. Well, one of them isn’t. The other I’m not sure yet.”

 

“That’s reassuring.”

 

“Sorry. I’ll just –“ He takes a breath, “Okay. So, don’t be mad at me, but I kinda did something without asking you first and it’s kinda  _ for  _ you, and I know you kinda hate it when I do these kind of things, but this isn’t like… bad. This is um, kind of a gift? Because your birthday is coming up, and I was struggling to find you something, but then my mom told me about this place and – um, well.” He takes a deep breath and straightens up, meeting Mal’s frown with a small, nervous smile, “You know how you always wanted to open a gallery?”

 

There’s a minute of silence as Mal takes in the words, and then, “Ben.”

 

Ben bites his lips, waiting for Mal to fully comprehend what he was trying to get at. Mal’s frown deepens, “ _ Ben _ .”

 

He scratches the side of his face as he lets out a nervous laugh, “So, it was kind of… it just happened. I swear. I was at dinner party and met this guy that owns this huge lot right at the center, right? He didn’t know what to do with it, and it turned out he’s been a friend of my mom’s for a while. And it wasn’t all my idea – my mom kinda mentioned it and I just… Well, I just bought it. The lot,” He says, there’s a gulp, and then, “For you. So you can open your gallery. Happy birthday.”

 

Mal stares at him, completely in shock, and Ben waits for a moment. When he realizes she isn’t going to say anything, he waves his hand back and forth in front of her face, “Mal? Can you say something? You’re kinda freaking me out.”

 

“You bought me a lot?” Mal asks after a moment, still trying to process the information she’s been given. Ben nods, slowly. The only sound besides their breathing is the sound of the television in the living room. Mal’s silent for another moment, and then Ben gasps.

 

“Mal, you’re crying.” He says, almost in panic, and Mal snorts, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes before Lyla noticed her mother crying.

 

“Of course I’m crying! You bought me a lot for a gallery!” Mal whispers angrily, and Ben squints.

 

“Are you mad? Or is that a good cry?” He asks, and Mal lets out a breathy laugh because Ben looks so much like Lyla then, looking completely lost and confused by Mal’s emotions.

 

“I’m not sure yet.” She sniffs, and then she shakes her head, “Ben, I can’t -“

 

“Don’t even finish that. Please,  _ please  _ accept it.” Ben says, grabbing both of Mal’s hands in his and squeezing them. This moment feels so familiar that it takes Mal’s breath away a little, and Ben smiles at her softly, as if that was his whole point. “I really, really want you to accept it. I told you I’d be with you no matter what, right? That included making sure that your dream is taken care of. And this is your dream, Mal. This is me being with you. You’ve done so much, you’ve given up on so much, and I wanted to make sure that you didn’t give up on this, too.”

 

Mal sniffles and walks around the counter and into Ben’s arms, chuckling softly when he squeezes her and calls her a cry baby.

 

“I love you so much.” She tells him tearfully, and he squeezes her again.

 

“I love you too.” He says, kissing the top of her head before he pulls away a little with a raised eyebrow, “Does that mean you accept my gift?”

 

Mal looks into his eyes for a moment before she nods her head yes. He smiles widely and pulls her into another hug, and they stay like that for a moment before Mal remembers something and pulls away slightly to look at Ben again, “This couldn’t possibly be the thing you weren’t sure if it was a bad thing or not,” She says, and Ben pauses. “What’s up?”

 

Ben pulls away from the hug and turns around so he’s facing the counter again. He taps the stool beside him, signaling that he wanted Mal to sit down, and she complies, watching him curiously with a frown as he takes a deep breath before he turns to her and says the last thing she expected him to say.

 

“I’m seeing someone.”

* * *

They’re in silence for a few minutes before Mal speaks up for the first time since Ben’s spoken. "For how long?”

 

“A few weeks,” Ben readily answers, gauging Mal’s expression for any sort of negative reaction. He doesn’t see anything negative, but Mal looks thoughtful.

 

“Um, I didn’t wanna say anything until I was sure that I could see this going somewhere,” Ben says when Mal’s been quiet for a few minutes, and Mal nods at him to show him that she’s listening, “But I also didn’t wanna date someone behind your back. It didn’t feel right.”

 

Mal looks into Ben’s brown eyes, then, and sees that he’s being sincere.

 

Truthfully, Mal didn’t know how she felt. Not because she still held out hope for her and Ben or anything like that, but because she didn’t know that they were already at that stage. The stage in which it was okay for them to think about dating again.

 

And it’s not like she doesn’t want Ben to date anyone or to control his life – no, he can do whatever he wants. It’s been years since Mal had felt any sort of romantic feelings towards Ben. 

 

And in all honesty, she doesn’t think they’re  _ just friends.  _ No, absolutely not. They’re a lot more than that – and it goes beyond any sort of connection she can think of. They’re bonded forever because of the tiny little creature sitting on the couch, singing along to the cartoon on the television as she waits for her dad to finish talking to her mom so they could go.

 

Since the beginning, when they met at a college party all those years ago and Ben had offered to walk her back to her dorm room safely and spent the entire walk asking her about her art and favorite artists, nodding along to her descriptions as if he knew all of the artists and making her laugh when he made up painting names when she asked him if he had any idea who she was talking about, Mal had known that Ben was going to be a huge part of her life. It was something that was just set in stone. Nothing could ever change the importance of the guy in front of her in her life, and she knew that Ben felt the same way.

 

Ben was selfless and he made huge gestures to show her that he cared and that he was there with her at every step of the way - case in point, the impulsive purchase of a lot so Mal could follow her dream of owning a gallery. And Mal realized that this was her chance to return the gesture.

 

“So, what’s this person like?” She asks, he grins.

 

“She’s great,” He says, and his tone is so light and genuine that it makes Mal smile. “Like, really great, Mal. I really like her.”

 

Mal raises an eyebrow, “So I know it’s a she.”

 

Ben smiles and nods, and then he bites his lips, a sign that he’s nervous. Mal sighs, a little emotionally exhausted from the entire info dump Ben had apparently set out to give her today. “What now?”

 

Ben rubs the back of his neck, “You… um, you actually know her.”

 

Mal frowns, “I do?”

 

“Um, yeah.” Ben clears his throat, “Um... I’m – uh, I’m seeing Audrey. And before you ask, no, Evie doesn’t know either. You’re the first to know.”

 

There are a lot of emotions and thoughts running through Mal’s head as she taps her fingers on the kitchen counter, but most of which she can easily sort out later. The one concern at the front and center of her mind is still the most important one.

 

“Are you happy?”

 

Ben nods, “I am.”

 

Mal nods.

 

“Then that’s all that matters.”

* * *

Lyla rushes towards the elevators, pressing the two buttons happily with her free hand and Ben and Mal hang back at the doorway of Mal’s apartment, both adults with similar looks on their faces as they look at each other for a moment.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ben asks for the tenth time that hour, and Mal nods, giving him the exact same answer she’d given him before. “Will you tell me if there’s anything wrong? You know you and Lyla come first, always.”

 

Mal gives him a smile, thoroughly moved and endeared by his genuine selflessness, and not for the first time extremely thankful that he’d been the one to be the father of her daughter. “I will, Ben. And I know that. Don’t worry.”

 

Ben gives her a smile, and then Mal tells him, “You told me that you’d be with me no matter what. And that my happiness is important to you. Well, Ben, the feeling is mutual.” She says, “Your happiness is important to me, and if you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

 

Ben smiles brightly at her before he pulls her into a hug. “Thank you for being so awesome.”

 

“Says you, Mr. I-bought-you-a-lot-for-your-birthday.” She teases back, and he chuckles.

 

“Was that all hyphenated?”

 

“Of course.”

 

They chuckle again, and then Ben speaks up, “I’ll call you next week so we can sort everything out about the lot, okay? We can go check it out and then talk about the details over lunch, if you want.” Then, “I miss hanging out with you.”

 

Mal gives him a grin, “I miss hanging out with you, too.”

 

Before they could say anything else, Lyla’s voice breaks into their little emotional bubble as she squeals, “Daddy! The elevator’s here! I’m comin’ in!”

 

Ben and Mal widen their eyes and Ben rushes to the end of the hallway, managing to slip into the elevator just before the door closes with their daughter inside. Lyla giggles madly at her father and Ben shakes his head and smiles at her as the doors begin to close. She waves at them and they wave back until the doors close, and Mal knows in that moment that no matter what, they’ll be okay.

 

Her smile doesn’t leave her face for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you guys think? Isn't Ben just the best? And Lyla the cutest? :') 
> 
> PS. Come talk to me @ evies-grimhildes on tumblr!


	3. Part III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 down, 2 more to go!

The next few months go by unnoticed by Mal, who’d been roped into a crazy schedule as she tried to balance the few classes she had during the week with working with Ben and a team of people who knew what they were doing when it came down to opening a gallery. When she’s not at home with Lyla, she’s at work or down at the empty lot where hopefully if all went accordingly to the plan, would come to be her gallery in a few months.  

 

Her free time had been cut off a bunch, and she only ever sees Evie once a week, for at least an hour as they had kind of fallen into a reliable routine of spending quality time together alongside Lyla. Her daughter, though, saw Evie a little more than Mal did, because whenever Mal and Ben needed someone to look after Lyla while they were at the gallery because no one else could, Evie would be their go to. And Mal knew that Lyla and Evie cherished the time they spent together, either by themselves or with Audrey, whom Lyla still didn’t know was her father’s girlfriend.

 

And as for Audrey and Mal – nothing really changed. They were still friendly, and Mal made an effort to get to know the woman better whenever they shared the same space. If Ben was serious about her, it meant that Audrey would become a part of their lives, of  _ Lyla’s _ life, and getting to know Audrey better was a must. Mal was pleased to see firsthand and hear from Evie that Audrey seemed to adore Lyla and even more pleased to see that the feeling was mutual. 

 

(Granted, there weren’t many people in the world that Lyla didn’t really get along with – another trait she’d taken after her father.)

 

It’s during a rare afternoon that she’s free and on the couch, watching Lyla as the girl lies on her stomach on the rug, her chin resting on her little hands as she watches a marathon of Looney Tunes giggling softly, that it downs on Mal that her life was probably going to get more and more hectic once the gallery was open, and she feels the panic at the bottom of her stomach start to grow as she realizes that that would mean less time at home with her baby.

 

And okay, she knows that she has help. It’s not like she’s alone in this – she knows that.  _ She knows that.  _ But Lyla’s her little baby – and her little baby was growing up more and more everyday in front of her eyes, and she started getting the hang of pronouncing her ‘r’s a little, and the thought of not seeing her daughter as much as she’d like to makes her want to curl up into a ball and cry. Instead, she picks up the smaller blonde from the floor, making her whine a little at being disturbed, and holds her against her chest in a hug, closing her eyes and inhaling her scent deeply. Soon, Lyla snuggles up against her mother and settles on her lap, her attention still on the television.

* * *

Evie comes over later that afternoon a few minutes after Mal sets a sleeping Lyla down on her bed, and Evie barely gives her any time to process what’s happening before she’s pulled into a tight hug, completely thrown by the gesture and by the sweet scent from Evie’s fragrance – and just  _ Evie _ in general.

 

“What was that for?” Mal asks when they pull away, and Evie gives her a soft smile.

 

“You looked like you needed it,” She shrugs, and then, “And I missed you.”

 

Something tugs at Mal’s heart, but she ignores it as she gives Evie one of her own smiles in return, “I missed you too.”

 

Evie gives her a bright grin before she turns serious again, “Now, wanna talk about what’s bothering you?”

 

Evie’s voice is soft and caring and before Mal knows it, she’s nodding and being led to her own kitchen stool, the brunette moving with ease and familiarity in Mal’s kitchen as she prepares them both tea as she listens to Mal’s concerns.

 

Evie is quiet for a moment after she sets the two mugs down, and Mal’s taking deep breaths as if to try and control her brain from exploding inside her head. To distract herself, she watches the way Evie stirs her tea and looks down thoughtfully as she tries to find the words to comfort her friend.

 

Mal waits for a moment, thinking about how weird it was that she felt so at ease and comfortable with opening up to Evie in such a short amount of time. The only two people in her life that she’d ever felt as comfortable with were Uma and Ben, and one of them had been her best friend since the womb and the other was pretty much the father of her daughter, so. It was kinda remarkable.

 

And even weirder, was the way that Mal seemed to find her mind drifting off to Evie whenever she’s not thinking about Lyla, or work, or, you know,  _ Lyla  _ lately _. _ Evie seemed to occupy many of her thoughts, and the blonde can’t exactly figure out why that was. She guesses it was because Evie was a new presence in her life, and it was kind of impossible to  _ not  _ think about Evie once you’ve met her.

 

Evie finally speaks up, then, “Mal, your concerns are valid and I understand them, or at least I can sympathize, but you do realize you’re putting way too much pressure on yourself?” Evie asks softly, her hands wrapped up around her mug, and Mal waits for her to continue, “See, you don’t know how your schedule is going to be like once the gallery is open. Sure, it’ll be different, but I’m sure you can find your way to work around it. And you have a lot of help, Mal. You do. You’re not alone in this, and yet it sounds like you don’t believe it.” Evie frowns, and Mal bites her lip softly as she looks down at her tea cup.

 

“I know I’m not alone, it’s just – I don’t know what to do, Evie.”

 

Evie grabs Mal’s hands in her own, then, and leans down until Mal’s eyes are on hers. “This isn’t the first time you didn’t know what to do when faced with a big change, is it? You’ve gone through so much, Mal, and you’ve made it this far. You’re  _ not _ alone, Mal. You don’t have to spend your time obsessing over the  _ what ifs _ and about what could go wrong – you can just ask for help. Simple as that.” Evie says, “Take one day at a time, and soon enough you’ll see that you’re more than capable of dealing with whatever life throws your way.”

 

“And I’m here for you, and Uma and Harry are here for you, and Jay and Carlos, Lyla’s grandparents, and Audrey, and most importantly,  _ Ben _ ’s here for you. You know that better than anyone.”

 

Mal nods, giving Evie a smile. She was right. And Mal knew she was right, and she  _ knew  _ that she wasn’t alone, but somehow the verbal confirmation coming from someone else – from  _ Evie  _ \- was more than enough to ease her concerns.

 

“Thank you, E.” Mal says, voice filled with emotion, and she mentally cringes at herself for being such an emotional wreck.

 

Evie gives her a soft smile, her hands still holding Mal’s in between her own, “Of course, M. You’re like, one of my best friends. I’d do anything for you and Lyla, I hope you know that.”

 

“Yeah?” Mal asks a little surprised. She’s even more surprised when she realizes that she had come to unconsciously consider Evie one of her best friends as well.

 

“Yeah.” Evie says, smiling gently, as if she knew what Mal was thinking.

 

Mal barely notices that Evie’s fingers were now playing with her own.

* * *

After that day, Mal realized that Evie was right and there was no use for her to worry about things that she had no way of knowing how they would turn out when Mal’s schedule eases up as everything in regards of the opening of the gallery were settling little by little, and all Mal really had to do after a few weeks was to give the final okay on certain decisions, which meant she could work from home – as long as she had her phone by her side the entire time, of course.

 

It was progress, and it was a relief, and Mal can almost hear the knowing smile on Evie’s face when she tells her this on a phone call, later that month.

 

As for the artworks she’d be exposing, she and Ben had made an agreement that whenever Mal needed the peace and quiet to work on them, he’d pick Lyla up overnight. Their daughter seemed more excited about everything that was happening around her these last few months than anything else, and Mal was more than glad about that.

 

Mal really had to stop herself from spiraling and letting her thoughts and anxiety take a hold of her like that – they’re always wrong.

 

//

 

She walks into Lyla’s preschool on a Wednesday afternoon and smiles when she sees Lyla twirling around with other kids inside the room she stays in from the doorway.

 

“Mommy!” Lyla exclaims once she catches sight of her mother, and Mal grins when the girl rushes towards her.

 

“Hi, bug.” Mal says, catching her daughter before she could fall, “Why don’t you go pick up your things? I have to talk to your teacher real quick.”

 

Lyla gives her a wary look, then, “Lyla in trouble?”

 

Mal chuckles and shakes her head, “No, bug, you’re not in trouble. Don’t worry.”

 

Lyla studies her face for a moment, and Mal gives her a smile. Seemingly convinced that she was not in trouble, the little girl rushes back to her friends to say her goodbyes and get her things as her teacher approaches Mal on the doorway.

 

“Hi, Mal.” She greets with a smile, “I heard you wanted to talk to me?”

 

Mal smiles, “Hi, yes, Lonnie. Um, just something silly, really quick.”

 

Lonnie nods to show her that she was listening and Mal continues, “Um, if it’s okay, I’d like to add another person to Lyla’s pick-up list and emergency contacts?”

 

Lonnie nods again, picking up a clipboard from the shelf beside the doorway. She shuffles with the papers for a moment until she finds Lyla’s file, and she looks up at Mal, “What’s their name and phone number?”

 

“Um, Evie Grimhilde, and…” Mal fishes her phone out of her pocket. 

 

Once she gives out the needed information, Lonnie nods and clicks her pen. “All done.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

//

 

On that next Friday morning, Evie and Mal are at the coffee shop with Lyla, the younger blonde sitting on Evie’s lap instead of her own seat, having climbed up Evie’s lap as soon as Evie had gotten there, apparently having missed the older woman after she left their apartment the prior night.

 

“I think she might like you more than she likes me.” Mal jokes.

 

“Shut up,” Evie rolls her eyes, adjusting Lyla on her lap.

 

“I like you both.” Lyla says lightly as she takes a bite of her muffin, “But I like aunt Uma more.” She adds with a giggle, making Mal and Evie laugh.

* * *

Later that same day, Mal’s sitting at the kitchen counter sketching a few ideas for her to start working on for the gallery, Evie on her couch, her back to the arm of the couch as she sits with her own sketchbook on her lap, adding finishing touches to a dress someone had commissioned her earlier that week, and Lyla’s copying both women as she sat on the floor of the living room – seemingly her favorite place in the entire house – with her drawing book and a few crayons as she happily hummed along to the playlist her mother had put on as they worked.

 

They’ve been silent for the better part of an hour, and naturally, Lyla’s the one to break it as she puts the pink crayon she had in her hands down and stands up with a jump, getting the attention of both women as she grabs her book once she’s up and announces, “It’s done!”

 

Both women watch with smiles on their faces as Lyla rushes towards her mother, excited to show her the drawing she had done all by herself – without Mal doing the outline first.

 

Evie watches with a grin as Mal takes the book in her hands and gasps, “Wow, bug! This is so good! Did you make this on your own?”

 

Lyla nods proudly, “Yes, mommy. All me.” She grins, “It’s Princess Bubblegum, see?”

 

“Yes, baby. I can see that. Wow, it looks even better than the ones  _ I  _ made!” Mal says and Lyla giggles happily, evidently proud of herself for getting such a reaction from her mother. “Why don’t you show Evie your drawing?”

 

The younger blonde nods and takes her book back, rushing towards Evie with a smile and handing her the book. Evie takes it with a smile, and her smile only widens when she looks at the drawing before her. It’s not perfect – it was, after all, made by a toddler -, but Evie can definitely understand why Mal was so excited about it.

 

The little blobs and lines and shapes put together in color definitely formed something that looked like the cartoon character, even if slightly. It was definitely an improvement for the little girl, and Evie felt her heart melting as she studied the drawing in front of her. With time, Lyla would definitely become just as talented as her mother.

 

“Wow, sweetie, this is wonderful!” Evie says, and Lyla grins brightly at her, “You are so talented, just like your mom.”

 

If that was even possible, the grins in both blondes’ faces widened even more at that, and Evie felt like she was staring directly at the sun.

 

“Thanks, Evie.” Lyla said, happy, and she takes her book back from the brunette woman’s hands. Evie and Mal smile as they watch her look back at her drawing with a proud look on her face.

 

“Bug, why don’t you go ahead and get changed? Your dad will be here to pick you up soon.”

 

“Kay kay.” Then, she looks at Evie, “Evie, come with?”

 

The brunette nods and sets her own sketchbook to the side, letting the little girl grab her hand and pull her from the couch and towards her bedroom. Mal watches them go with a smile.

* * *

When Ben knocks on the door, Evie and Lyla are giggling together on the couch, the older woman holding Lyla tight in her arms and planting sloppy kisses on the girl’s cheek, making her shriek in glee at the attention.

 

Mal’s smiling when she opens the door, and Ben soon adopts a smile of his own as he catches sight of the scene in the living room.

 

Before Lyla could catch sight of her father and be distracted, Ben nods with a smile towards the empty hallway and Mal gets the message, sending Evie a look that silently asks her to keep Lyla busy while she stepped outside with Ben and closed the door softly behind her.

 

“What’s up?” She asks, and before Ben could say anything she adds, “Oh, God, you didn’t buy me anything else, did you?”

 

That makes Ben laugh, “No, no. Um, actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

 

Mal nods at him to go on, and he clears his throat before nervously saying, “Is it okay if I had dinner with Lyla and Audrey today?”

 

Mal frowns, “Ben, it’s your weekend –“ Then, she gets it. “Oh, like…”

 

Ben nods. “Um, we’ve hung out with Lyla together before, but we just thought that it’d be safer if we just… told her, instead of accidentally slipping in front of her and getting her confused.” Mal nods, understanding where they were coming from. “So, um, is that okay?”

 

“Yeah, Ben. Of course.” Then she smiles, “You picked a good day. She’s in a good mood.”

 

Ben gives her a smirk, “I’ll bet.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Nothing, nothing… Just, um, she seems to really like Evie, huh?” He says, giving Mal a secretive smile, and Mal gives him a weird look.

 

“I know you’re implying something, but I can’t be bothered to try and figure it out now,” Mal says slowly, and Ben chuckles. Then she lights up, remembering something, “Oh! She made her first  _ actual  _ drawing today!”

 

Ben’s eyes light up as well, “No way!”

 

Mal nods excitedly, and she grabs his wrist to pull him inside, finding Lyla still in Evie’s lap, smiling at the TV.  As soon as she sees her dad walking in behind her mother, she squeals happily and jumps from Evie’s lap. “Daddy!”

 

Ben picks her up in his arms with a smile, “Hey, princess! Your mommy tells me you have something to show me, Miss Artist?”

 

Lyla giggles and nods, and Ben puts her down so she could grab her drawing book from her things and show him her work.

 

Mal and Evie watch with amused smiles as Ben actually gets choked up when he sees the drawing.

 

“Who’s the cry baby now?” Mal teases him. Ben chuckles at her, not even slightly embarrassed of his reaction.

* * *

Moments later, after Ben and Lyla had left, Ben having received a reassuring hug from Mal and a request for him to text her later that night to let her know how it went, Evie stands up from the couch with a sigh.

 

“I should probably get going, as well,” She says, picking up her sketchbook from the couch and sighing again, “I gotta get started on this dress now that I have the design ready.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Mal says, putting her pencil down and standing up from the kitchen stool, “Text me when you get home?”

 

Evie nods from where she’s putting on her shoes at the doorway, her sketchbook on the floor. Mal watches in silence as Evie finishes tying her laces and stands up, grabbing her jacket from the coat rack beside the door and then her purse. She grabs her sketchbook from the floor once she’s all set and turns to Mal with a smile.

 

“Hug goodbye?”

 

Mal rolls her eyes but smiles anyway, walking towards Evie and letting herself be pulled into a hug.

 

“Bye, M.” Evie says softly as she opens the door, and Mal gives her a small wave.

 

“Bye, E.”

* * *

The silence in her apartment feels almost suffocating once she’s alone. She finds that she can’t focus on the work at hand, and she’s not really sure why.

 

Her mind is distracted, and she figures that it must be because of Ben and what he’s going to tell their daughter and how Lyla would react to it – yeah, that must be it. That’s the reasonable, logical explanation.

 

Her saving grace comes in form of her best friend, who texts her asking her if she was free and if she could come over. Mal’s already grabbing her jacket from the coat rack and her purse when she texts Uma that she’s on her way.

* * *

“So Ben’s telling Lyla about Audrey today?” Uma asks with a whistle as they both sit side by side on her couch, a trashy reality show playing on the television in front of them as they munched on the popcorn Harry had made for them.

 

“Mhm,” Mal says, licking her lips before she grabs another handful.

 

“Damn.” Uma’s silent for a moment before she shrugs, “Well, I’m sure everything’s gonna be okay. Lyla’s the coolest kid ever.”

 

Mal nods, almost as if to reassure herself, “Yeah.”

 

“Mal.” Uma says, grabbing Mal’s wrist softly to get her attention. The blonde woman looks at her, “It’ll be fine. They’re gonna be fine. You know that, right?”

 

Mal looks at her for a moment before she nods, “Yeah. Yeah, I know that.”

 

“Good.”

 

They turn their attention back to the television then, and for the first time Mal realizes that they’ve been watching one of the hundreds Kardashian-related shows for the last hour. They’re in silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from the television and from the few times Harry sets his coffee mug down on the counter behind them, his attention completely taken by the book he’s reading.

 

“Hey, Uma?” Mal says after a moment, and her friend hums to show her that she’s listening. “Thanks. I feel like I don’t say that enough. But you’re like, the bestest best friend in the world.”

 

“That’s all you ever say, actually,” Uma responds with a chuckle, but then she squeezes the hand she’s still holding, “But the feeling’s mutual… bitch.”

 

At Mal’s offended gasp, Uma chuckles, “I felt like we were getting too mushy here.”

 

Mal snorts, slightly agreeing, but still making a point of snatching the remote control from Uma’s hands and pointing it towards the television, “Your taste in reality TV is fucking terrible.”

 

“Fuck off,” Uma says, trying to get the remote back and groaning when Mal holds it out of her reach, trying to find something else to watch on the TV at the same time as she tried to hold Uma back. “Gimme the control, damn it, Mal.”

 

“Shh, it’s my turn to pick now.” Mal says, chuckling when Uma tries to reach for the remote, “You’ve already made me waste my time watching this crap –“

 

“Um, who died and made you the queen of good taste in reality TV?” Uma asked, still struggling to grab the remote, making Mal chuckle when she failed, “You’re so annoying.”

 

“You’re so annoying,” Mal repeats in a silly voice. Uma stops her struggling to give her an incredulous look.

 

“I know you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

 

“I know you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

 

“I won’t be bothered –“

 

“I won’t be bothered –“

 

“- this is so childish –“

 

“- this is so childish –“

 

“ _ Harry! _ ” Uma exclaims over her shoulder, “Make her stop.”

 

“Harry! Make her stop!” Mal repeats with a chuckle and Harry sighs before he turns the page on his book.

 

“Children, behave. I’m trying to read.”

 

“Sorry.” 

 

“Sorry.” Mal says, in that same silly voice, and Uma glares at her.

 

“I fucking hate you.”

 

“I f-“

 

She’s interrupted by the pillow Uma slams on her face.

 

//

 

Lyla is quiet when she returns from her weekend at Ben’s, and Mal’s a little confused as to why. Ben had told her that it had all gone well, that Lyla had been her chipper self the whole time and took Ben’s news pretty well, even going so far as asking Audrey to sit with her in the backseat of the car on the ride back from dinner, falling asleep on Audrey’s lap as the older woman told her silly stories to help her sleep.

 

She doesn’t have to question the reason behind Lyla’s silence for long, though, because Lyla doesn’t wait for her to ask her about it. She’s sitting on her bed, her Jake toy held against her chest as she watches her mother undo her bag with a thoughtful look on her face before she speaks up for the first time in an hour.

 

“Mommy, why you and daddy not together?”

 

Mal pauses her task and looks at her daughter, finding nothing but genuine curiosity on her face as she waits for her mother to answer her. Mal sets the bag and the piece of clothing she had in her hands aside as she sits down beside her daughter, “What do you mean, bug?”

 

Lyla bites her bottom lip for a moment, as if trying to explain her question in a way that made sense for Mal, “Well, some of my friends’ mommies and daddies are together. Why not you and daddy?”

 

Mal thinks for a moment, “Well see, because families can come in different ways, bug,” She starts to explain, “Some families have their mommies and daddies together, some others have two mommies, and some others there are two daddies,” Lyla nods, taking her words in, and Mal continues, “Sometimes there aren’t mommies or daddies, and there are grandparents, or uncles and aunts, just like your friend Kevin. Remember you told me he lives with his aunt?” She asks, and Lyla nods again, “And sometimes, like in your family, there is a mommy and a daddy, but they’re not together because that’s just how it was meant to be. Do you understand?” Lyla nods, looking up at her with thoughtful eyes, and Mal continues, “But that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a family. Every family is important, no matter how they come.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, bug.” Mal says with a smile, and Lyla smiles at her. “Can I tell you a secret not a lot of people know?” When Lyla nods, Mal says, “You can choose who you call your family. Even your friends can be your family, if you want them to be.”

 

Lyla nods, wide eyed at the new information, and Mal watches as she thinks for a moment before speaking up again.

 

“So… you, and daddy, and grandma and my other grandma and grandpa and aunt Uma and all my other uncles are my family? Even if you and daddy not together?” Lyla asks, trying to put her thoughts together, and Mal smiles at her and nods. Lyla grins, “Okay. I like our family the best of all other families.”

 

Mal chuckles, feeling oddly emotional at hearing that and having to fight to not cry in front of her daughter as she says, “Yeah, me too, bug.”

 

They sit in silence for another moment before Lyla asks in a small voice, “Can Audrey and Evie be part of our family, too?”

 

Her tone is so genuine that Mal can’t help it – she pulls her daughter on her lap and gives her a big kiss on her cheek for being the sweetest kid in the whole world. 

 

“Yeah, bug,” She says, finally, “They can.”

 

Lyla gives her a big grin.

 

//

 

On a Tuesday evening, a few weeks later, Maleficent phones Mal.

 

“Hello? Mal, can you hear me?  _ Hello? _ ”

 

“Mom! Yes, yes, I can hear you.” Mal tries to fight her laughter, knowing her mother would not appreciate it, “Hi, mom.”

 

“Hi, kiddo!” Maleficent says excitedly on the other end, “I’ve got good news!”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Guess who’s coming to visit and spend the weekend with you?” Maleficent sing-songs and Mal chuckles.

 

“Uh, I don’t know, gimme a hint?” Mal asks playfully, and she can hear her mother’s chuckles on the other end of the call.

 

“I’ll see you this weekend, kiddo!” And then, “If you got plans, cancel ‘em!’

 

Mal rolls her eyes, thoroughly amused by her mother’s antics, “I’ll fit you in my schedule, don’t worry.”

 

“Good, good,” There’s a pause, and then, “I have to go now, but I’ll call you very soon, okay?”

 

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

 

“Give my other kiddo a squeeze, will you?”

 

“Of course.”

 

//

 

On Friday that same week, Evie’s in Mal’s apartment, keeping herself busy with her designs as she watches Lyla in the living room while the girl’s mother is out to run some errands and get some things sorted out at the gallery when there’s a knock on the door and Evie watches with an amused smile as Lyla jumps up from the living room floor and rushes to her bedroom, an urgent look on her face as she mutters about forgetting to pick her toys up from her floor.

 

Evie gets off the kitchen stool she’s been sitting on and makes her way towards the door, still smiling amusedly as she opens it while saying, “Did you forget your key or someth- oh. Hello.” She says, somewhat shy, and Maleficent chuckles at her.

 

“Hello, dear.” She says, stepping into the apartment, pulling a small suitcase through the door with her.

 

“Hello,” Evie greets, “Um, I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Evie, Mal’s friend.”

 

“Yes, I remember. You were here for Lyla’s birthday,” Maleficent says, a somewhat amused smile on her face, “It’s lovely to see you again.”

 

“You too,” Evie says, and when she notices Maleficent looking around the apartment curiously, as if wondering what Evie was doing here by herself and her daughter’s whereabouts, Evie speaks up, “Oh, sorry, Mal’s not here. Well, she should be here soon. She had to rush out and asked me to look after the little one. She was under the impression you’d get here a little later, though.”

 

“Oh, yes,” Maleficent chuckles, “I was, but the traffic was good today.”

 

Evie nods in understanding, and they’re silent for a moment before Maleficent asks, “So, where’s the little one?”

 

“Oh, she’s in her room. She thought you were Mal, and she rushed to pick up after a mess she made and didn’t want her mother to see,” Both women chuckle at that, and Evie speaks up again, “I’ll go get her and see if she needs any help.”

 

Maleficent nods, watching Evie disappear into her granddaughter’s bedroom with a curious smile on her face.

* * *

Evie comes out of the room with Lyla in her arms a few minutes later, and Maleficent looks up from her spot on the couch when Lyla exclaims an excited  _ “Grandma!” _ as soon as she catches sight of her grandmother.

 

Lyla waits until Evie sets her down to climb up on her grandmother’s lap, and she giggles softly when Maleficent squeezes her a few times, commenting on her size playfully. Evie watches with a small smile as Lyla happily listens to her grandmother talking to her, and she can’t help but feel like she was intruding into their moment a little. So she looks back down at her sketchbook to give them their space until she hears her name being mentioned in the middle of their conversation.

 

“Evie’s my best friend,” Lyla tells her grandmother seriously, and Evie smiles softly at that.

 

“I thought she was your mommy’s friend.” Maleficent teases as she looks from Lyla to Evie with a smile, and Lyla shakes her head.

 

“She’s mommy’s friend, but she’s  _ my  _ best friend,” Lyla says with authority, and both women chuckle at that.

 

“Okay, okay,” Maleficent nods, and then she smiles at Evie, “She seems fond of you.”

 

“I’m pretty fond of her too,” Evie replies, sending Lyla a wink. The younger blonde giggles.

* * *

About an hour later, Evie had moved from the kitchen stool to the couch beside Maleficent, the two women exchanging stories and talking animatedly as they watched Lyla play with her toys, and it’s the moment Lyla announces that she’s hungry that Mal decides to show up.

 

The woman steps through the door, pausing when she sees the suitcase by the door and hears the sound of her mother’s voice asking Lyla what she wanted to eat. She looks up, then, and takes in the scene before her with wide eyes.

 

“Mom, I thought you wouldn’t be here until later.” She says as a greeting, not knowing exactly how she felt about Evie and her mother sitting together and  _ talking  _ to each other without Mal’s supervision.

 

Maleficent smiles as she stands from the couch and walks towards her daughter, pulling her into a hug as she says, “Yeah, good traffic. And I couldn’t wait to see my favorite girls,” She coos, pinching Mal’s cheeks once she pulls away and chuckling at Mal’s horrified look when she hears Evie’s laughter in the living room.

 

“ _ Mom, _ ” Mal whines quietly, and Maleficent smirks at her before she pulls her hands away and steps into the kitchen to prepare something for her granddaughter to eat.

 

Mal turns to Evie, then, a little embarrassed and mouths a  _ ‘sorry’  _ to her for being ambushed by her mother like that. Evie shakes her head at her to show her that it’s okay and stands up, “I should get going.”

 

“What, why?” Mal asks, surprised and disappointed. Evie gives her a look before she looks pointedly in the general direction of the kitchen, and Mal shakes her head, “E, you don’t have to. You’re welcome to stay, if you want.”

 

Evie gives her a smile, “I have plans with Audrey.”

 

“You sure?” Mal asks, and Evie nods. “Okay, then.”

 

“ _ Eeeevie,”  _ Lyla sing-songs as she jumps up from where she was watching their interactions silently for once, rushing towards the older woman and making grabby hands so Evie can pick her up. “Come back soon?”

 

“Yes, baby. I will.” Evie nods, planting little kisses all over Lyla’s face and making her giggle. Mal watches them with a small smile on her face and from the corner of her eye, Evie can see that Maleficent is watching them furtively from the kitchen as she prepares snacks. Feeling a little awkward, she gives Lyla one final squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before she sets her down.

 

She grabs her things and says her goodbyes to Maleficent, and when she’s ready to leave Mal speaks up, “Um, talk to you soon?”

 

“Yeah,” Evie smiles, “Bye, M.”

 

“Bye, E.”

* * *

“So, Evie told me you guys went to school together,” Maleficent says later that night, “I don’t think I remember you or Uma mentioning her or her friend Audrey then.”

 

“Um, we weren’t friends then.” Mal responds, holding a sleepy Lyla closer to her chest as they walk to Mal’s car.

 

“And you’re friends now?” Maleficent asks, and Mal frowns at the odd question.

 

“Yeah, mom.” Then, “Um, Ben’s dating Audrey, actually.”

 

Maleficent raises her eyebrows, “Oh? Should I be happy for them?”

 

Mal chuckles, “Yeah, mom. You should.”

 

Maleficent smiles. They’re silent for another minute before Maleficent groans, “God, kiddo, why did you have to park your car on the other side of the city?”

 

Mal rolls her eyes, “You were the one who wanted to have dinner in a restaurant located in the busiest street of Auradon on a Friday night.” She reminds the older woman, “That’s what comes with it.”

 

Another moment of silence, and Mal thinks Lyla is asleep in her arms when her mother speaks again, “What about you?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Are you dating anyone?”

 

“Um, no.” Mal says, “No time.”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.” Her mother shakes her head, and she only speaks again when she sees Mal’s car a few steps away from them, “So, tell me more about the gallery.”

 

//

 

Mal begins to transfer her sketches and ideas to paintings a week later. She only ever works when she’s alone, or when Lyla’s too distracted with her own drawings to care about what her mother is working on. She wants to keep them a surprise for everyone, so whenever she has anyone over, her paintings  _ and  _ her sketchbook are kept safe behind Mal’s  _ locked  _ bedroom door, just to be sure. Not that she thinks that anyone would go snooping into her room without her permission – but it’s just, well, Uma’s her best friend, and Uma would go snooping into her room without her permission.

 

But other than that, she just didn’t want to risk ruining the surprise for anyone, wanting the exposition to be a surprise for everyone equally.

* * *

Mal’s phone vibrates on her back pocket while she works on a Wednesday night after putting Lyla to sleep and she pulls it out to see that she’s gotten a new text message from Uma.

 

**Uma:** hi harry & i are expecting u at the pub tomorrow night and we’ll lose our shit if u don’t show up

 

Before Mal can type in her response, the three dots pop up for a second and then a new received message bubble appears on her screen.

 

**Uma:** bring evie. this is not a request so don’t try it

 

Mal chuckles under her breath and shakes her head, beginning to type her response.

 

**Mal:** I’ll go but only because I want to

 

**Mal:** and since Evie’s her own person I’ll ask her if she wants to come

 

The three dots appear on the screen again as Uma types in her reply, and Mal waits for a moment.

 

**Uma:** that’s what she said

 

Mal sighs.

 

**Mal:** you’re a fucking idiot

 

**Uma:** love u too

* * *

Mal rings Evie a few minutes later, holding her phone between her cheek and her shoulder as she waits for the other woman to pick up.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi. Are you free tomorrow night?” Mal asks, eyeing her painting with a critical look as she tries to decide which color to use next. She hears Evie hum to herself as she tries to remember her schedule.

 

“Yeah, I am,” Evie says, finally, “Why?”

 

“I’m being forced to meet Uma and Harry at the local pub tomorrow and apparently so are you.”

 

“I am?” Evie asks, and her voice sounds a mix of surprised and confused.

 

“Uh-huh,” Mal says, switching her phone from one shoulder to the other as she reaches for another brush. “That’s what Uma told me, at least.”

 

“Oh. Well, okay. I’d love to.” There’s a moment of silence as Mal is distracted by her work, and it’s broken by the sound of Evie’s chuckle as she identifies the sound of Mal’s brush hitting against the glass she keeps the water to clean them in, “So, what’s the painting of?”

 

Mal smiles, “I’m not telling you.”

 

“Aw, come on. A hint?”

 

“Nope,” Mal says, and she grins when she hears the sound of Evie’s groan on the other end. “And stop pouting.”

 

“I’m not pouting.”

 

“Yes, you are, I can literally hear it.”

 

“Shut up.” Evie says with a chuckle, and Mal smiles. “Okay, don’t tell me. I don’t care.”

 

There’s a pause, and then, “Okay, I care, but if you want to keep it a secret, then I guess I’ll respect your wishes,” She says, and Mal smirks, “But just so you know, I’m like, super proud of you.”

 

Mal frowns, “Why?”

 

“Because you’re like, a superwoman,” Evie chuckles, “You kinda do it all. It’s pretty fascinating, actually. You’re… fascinating.”

 

“Oh. Um, thanks.” Mal says, and she’s thankful Evie isn’t there to see how red she is at the compliment.

 

(She thinks Evie knows, anyway.)

 

“You’re welcome,” Evie responds, and they’re in silence for a moment before Mal speaks up again.

 

“So, how was your day?” She asks, and Evie begins to tell her about her lunch meeting with a client as Mal listens on, a small smile on her face the whole time.

* * *

Evie yawns an hour into their phone call.

 

Mal glances at the time on her phone, which was now on top of her kitchen counter as she put the call on speaker so she could work with more ease and still talk to Evie as she did it.

 

“E, go to sleep before you fall asleep on me.”

 

“I’m not sleepy,” Comes the muffled response, and Mal rolls her eyes.

 

“Uh huh. Go to bed, Evie.”

 

Evie chuckles, “Are you on some sort of power trip from putting Lyla to sleep successfully on the first try earlier?”

 

Mal chuckles and rolls her eyes, “Shut up.”

 

Evie yawns again, and Mal repeats, “ _ Goodnight _ , Evie.”

 

“Wait,” Evie says, as if afraid that Mal was going to hang up the phone, “I don’t wanna sleep.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“’Cause I’m talking to you, silly.”

 

Mal rolls her eyes when she notices that she’s grinning down at her phone like an idiot. “Then stop talking to me and go to sleep,  _ silly _ .”

 

She can hear Evie’s pout when she sighs and says, “Fine.”

 

“Okay.”

 

There’s silence for a moment, and Mal thinks Evie might’ve fallen asleep on the phone when there’s shuffling and Evie’s voice speaks up again, “Night, M.”

 

Mal smiles, “Night, E.”

 

“Sing me to sleep?”

 

“ _ Goodnight _ , Evie.”

 

The last thing she hears before she disconnects the call is Evie’s amused laughter.

 

//

 

Audrey looks up from her book when she sees Evie walking out of her bedroom, putting on the second earring as she checks her reflection on the bathroom mirror from outside in their little hallway. She raises an eyebrow.

 

“You look hot.” Audrey compliments, and then, “Who do you look hot for?”

 

It takes Evie a beat as she adjusts her dress, “For myself, firstly.”

 

Audrey chuckles at the answer, and then, “You got a date or something?”

 

Evie shakes her head, “No, just meeting with Mal, Uma and Harry at this pub they go to.”

 

Her friend nods for a moment, taking in the new information. “Oh. Well, you look nice.”

 

“Thanks.” Evie smiles, and then she gives a little twirl and stops with a pose, “So it’s a go?”

 

“Yeah, for sure.”  Audrey nods, and she watches as her friend disappears back into her room for a moment. Taking her chance, she says, “Mal’s gonna love it.”

 

“Huh?” Evie asks from her bedroom, and it’s a moment before she walks out of her bedroom, purse in hand, “Sorry, did you say something? I was trying to find my phone.”  

 

Audrey shakes her head and chuckles, and Evie watches her confusedly for a moment, “What?”

 

“Nothing. I said your hair looks pretty like that.”

 

“Oh. Thanks.”

 

“Text me if you need anything?”

 

“Yeah.” The door opens, and then, “Bye, Auds.”

 

“Bye,” Audrey says, and when the door closes and her friend disappears, she adds under her breath as she turns back to her book, “Have fun double dating.”

 

//

 

“I apologize in advance for whatever Uma and Harry might say or do this evening, and I’d like to make sure you know that anything Uma tells you that might be even slightly embarrassing is a complete lie.” Is the greeting Evie gets when she approaches Mal, and she chuckles in response.

 

“Mal, I’ve met them before. A few times, actually.” Evie reminds her, and Mal shakes her head.

 

“True, but I feel like something terrible might happen tonight for some reason and I’d just like to make sure you’re aware I’m not to be held responsible for whatever happens.”

 

Evie shakes her head and loops her arm through Mal’s and pulls the door of the pub open, “Come on in, drama queen.”

* * *

“And  _ that’s  _ the story of how Mal accidentally called me while she was, y’know,  _ gettiin’ busy _ with one of her girlfriends in a public restroom in college.” Uma finishes the story with a smile on her face, Mal hiding her face in her hands as she heard Evie laughing gleefully beside her, her laughter mixing together with Harry and Uma’s.

 

“Wow, Mal.”

 

Mal refuses to take her face off her hands as she shakes her head, and that makes them laugh harder.

 

“I fucking hate you guys.” Mal tells the couple in front of her, and Uma grins at her and Harry gasps.

 

“ _ I _ didn’t even do anything! Uma’s the one tellin’ Evie yer business,” Then, he smirks, “ _ But _ if I were to say anythin’, it’d absolutely be about that time ye accidentally sent Uma a text that was meant to go to someone else–“

 

Mal widens her eyes and Evie gasps, leaning forward as Uma cackles beside him.

 

“Jesus Christ.” Mal mutters, reaching over and slapping her hands across Harry’s mouth, “Shut it, Hook.”

 

Harry’s blue eyes wrinkle at the corners and he nods, as if complying, and Mal waits for a moment before she deems it safe enough for her to sit back.

 

And then, of course Harry opens his mouth, “-and I swear, Uma’s screech was the funniest thing I ever heard. Ye’d think she’d seen her best friend’s bits at least once.”

 

“I swear, that image was burned in my eyelids –“

 

“Oh, my God. I honestly am going to kill you guys,” Mal says, looking from one to another with a horrified look on her face.

 

“Since we’re both dying anyway, how about we tell Evie about that time you got caught –“

 

Mal groans loudly and Evie shushes her, leaning forward with a smile as Uma continues the story.

* * *

Evie doesn’t think she’s ever laughed this hard in her whole life. Her stomach aches from how many times she’s laughed loudly at something Harry or Uma had told her about Mal, and she thinks it’s extremely endearing how Mal hides her face or rolls her eyes or threatens to kill the couple every time they remember a new thing to tell Evie about.

 

Apparently Mal had a bit of a past that she’d never told Evie about and the brunette would’ve never guessed from the way the blonde acted around her.

 

And she thinks it’s extremely endearing how Mal, Uma and Harry seem at ease with each other, how Harry rolls his eyes and sighs and tells Uma and Mal to behave whenever they get caught up in childish banter, and it’s obvious from how naturally these moments happen and from the stories that the couple had shared with her that they’ve been like this for years.

 

Evie watches silently while she catches her breath from all the laughing she’s done as Uma leans forward on the table, trying to pinch Mal’s cheeks in reaction to something the blonde had said about Lyla and Mal swats at her hands and pushes her away by the forehead while Harry sighs and tells them to behave in front of Evie, making the brunette finally speak up after a few minutes in silence.

 

“You guys are like, strangely adorable.”

 

“Thanks.” Uma grins.

 

“She was talking about me.” Mal says.

 

“About  _ me _ .”

 

“You’ve never been adorable one day in your life.”

 

“That’s funny, tell another one.”

 

Harry sighs while Evie laughs.

* * *

About two hours later and minutes away from midnight, the two of them are standing outside the pub waiting for their respective Ubers, Mal only slightly tipsy from the few drinks she’s had but not drunk – not when she still had to pick up her  _ hopefully  _ asleep toddler from Carlos and Jay’s place.

 

Evie, on the other hand, is leaning hard against Mal as she stands on the sidewalk beside her friend, her eyes closed as she speaks, “Are we still meetin’ for breakfast tomorrow?”

 

Mal nods with a smile, “Yeah.”

 

“I like Friday mornings,” Evie tells her, looping her arm through Mal’s.

 

“Evie mornings,” Mal says, “That’s what Lyla calls it.”

 

“She’s so _cute_.” Evie says, her eyes still closed. Mal takes the phone from Evie’s hands and checks if her Uber is anywhere near. 3 minutes away. _“And_ I like Fridays and Lyla and breakfast and you,” Evie half sings half slurs incoherently, and Mal chuckles a little.

 

2 minutes. “ _ And  _ you’re very drunk.”

 

“True,” Evie chuckles, and Mal smiles softly at her. “But I like you guys.”

 

“We like you too, drunky.” Mal says, and Evie chuckles.

 

They’re in silence for a moment before Mal sees that Evie’s Uber is stopping in front of the sidewalk they’re on, and she pulls her friend with her until she’s in the car. She checks the driver for a moment and sighs in relief when she sees that the driver is a woman – it’s not a sure bet, but it does ease up Mal’s concerns of letting her drunken friend into a car with a stranger a little.

 

She hands Evie her phone back, and the brunette looks up at Mal from the open window of the car as Mal leans down, “Text me when you get home, okay?”

 

Evie nods. She inches up and plants a loud, sloppy kiss on her friend’s cheek. “Bye, M. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Mal checks her own Uber app on her phone and sees that it’s only a minute away. She looks down at Evie and smiles, “See you.”

 

The last thing she sees before the car Evie’s in starts to drive away is Evie blowing her a kiss. She chuckles under her breath and shakes her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think <3


	4. Part IV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here's part 4! We're almost done omg. Now, I don't know if you've seen it/if you follow me on tumblr, but I mentioned in an ask earlier that I might have to push the final part a little bit further, and instead of posting it tomorrow I'll have to post it sometime this week. What happened is that it's become longer than I expected it to, and I'm still trying to figure out a way to finish it that leaves me satisfied. So the final part might be the longest chapter yet. So that's good, right? 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for the sweet comments about this fic and I'm so so very glad that you guys are enjoying this story! I hope you like this chapter. It's very special. :)

Evie knocks on Mal’s door earlier than the blonde had expected her to, and she watches from the kitchen counter as Evie walks into the apartment after Mal tells her to come in and is immediately attacked by a giggling Lyla.

 

“Hi, cutie!” Evie greets with a happy grin, and Mal’s more than impressed by the fact that Evie seems to be hangover free as she picks Lyla from the floor and into her arms, making the younger blonde giggle madly as she squeezes her and pecks her face with millions of kisses before finally setting her down with a chuckle.

 

Lyla runs back towards the living room couch with a giggle once she hears her show coming back from the commercial and Evie chuckles softly at her before she finally lays her eyes on Mal.

 

“You don’t look hungover.” Mal says as a greeting.

 

“That’s because I’m not.” Evie winks, “Latin blood.”

 

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Mal says, and then, “You hungry?”

 

Evie sits down on the stool beside Mal with a sigh, “ _ Starving. _ ”

 

“I’ll go make some more coffee and prepare more bacon for you, then,” Mal says standing up, and Evie gives her a thankful smile.

 

“Need any help?”

 

Mal shakes her head, “Just go entertain the little human who’s been asking me since she woke up at 6AM when Evie would get here?”

 

The grin Evie gives her in response to that makes Mal feel warmth spreading through her whole body as she begins to prepare her friend’s breakfast.

* * *

“How are we feeling today, Lyla?” Evie asks once she settles on the couch next to the little girl, the blonde girl struggling to give all four of her Adventure Time toys equal cuddle time as she tries to hold them all to her chest with her little arms. Evie smiles at the image. “Can I help you out?”

 

She motions with her head towards the toys in the little girl’s arms, and Lyla looks at her and then at her dolls for a moment before she nods and frees her Marceline toy and her Finn toy and Evie takes them and holds them to her arms, mimicking the younger girl’s position. Lyla grins at her and then says, “Daddy and Audrey takin’ Lyla to the movies and ice cream!”

 

Evie already knew that, but she gasps and smiles anyway, “Oh, yeah? That’s awesome, sweetie!”

 

Lyla nods happily, and then she shuffles a little on the couch before she sets her toys aside and then turns so she can face Evie and grab the toys she’d just handed to her in her arms and set them aside as well. Evie watches with a smile as Lyla, seemingly satisfied with how her toys were piled up together on the corner of the couch, turns back to Evie and shuffles closer before she climbs on her lap and laces her arms on Evie’s neck as she sits down sideways, “Now Lyla time!”

 

Evie grins and pulls Lyla closer to her, “My favorite time.”

 

The brunette begins to tickle Lyla, then, making the toddler squeal and giggle happily until Evie’s phone starts to ring in her jacket pocket, and she watches with an amused smile as Lyla starts checking her over to try and figure out where the noise could be coming from. Once she notices the oversized phone peeking out from the front pocket of Evie’s jacket, she smiles and pulls it out, her eyes on Evie as she brings her still ringing phone to her ears, “Hello?”

 

Evie chuckles amusedly as Lyla frowns when the phone keeps ringing, and she tries to hold in her coo because Lyla looks  _ so much  _ like a tiny version of Mal as she looks down at the phone confusedly before she turns to Evie with a frown and says, “No one talking to Lyla.” 

 

“Can I have my phone, baby?” Evie asks, holding out her hand, and Lyla nods before she gives it to the older woman. Evie looks down at it and presses stop on her 7:30AM alarm. “It wasn’t a call, sweetie. It was an alarm.”

 

”What’s that?” Lyla asks curiously.

 

“It’s something that tells me when to wake up so I can meet up with you guys.” Evie says with a grin, and Lyla grins brightly up at her in response.

 

“I  _ like  _ alarms!”

 

Evie can hear Mal chuckling at the exclamation from the kitchen, and she smiles down at Lyla and says, “That’s gonna change in a few years, kid. Trust me.”

 

Lyla looks like she doesn’t believe her.

 

//

 

Lyla, for some reason, adored grocery shopping. Mal thinks it’s because she liked seeing the other kids around her in the kiddie seats and felt like she was on an adventure whenever Mal confined her into one of those, a feeling that was probably inspired by Harry and Uma, as the couple pretended the shopping cart was a pirate ship and she was the captain every time they took her grocery shopping with them.

 

Lyla’s giggling to herself as Mal rolls the shopping cart through the aisles, and they’re in the middle of the second to last aisle of the day when Lyla gasps and Mal turns around to find her daughter pointing towards a cereal box excitedly.

 

“What is it, bug?” Mal asks curiously.

 

“That one?” Lyla asks, pointing excitedly towards the box, “Evie’s most favorite, mommy. She told me.”

 

“How do you know it’s that one?” Mal asks curiously, then, because as far as she knew, her daughter didn’t really know how to read just yet. Lyla sighed like her mother was silly.

 

“The  _ drawin’ _ , mommy.”

 

That makes more sense. Mal smiles, “You wanna buy Evie a cereal, bug?”

 

Lyla nods, “For Evie mornings, mommy. Please?”

 

Mal chuckles and walks towards the shelf, grabbing a box and laughing when Lyla cheers.

* * *

Evie comes over on a Thursday night, and she helps Mal chop some vegetables for dinner before she walks towards the living room, where Lyla is lying on her tummy as she hums happily to herself as she draws something on her book, the television tuned in to the same cartoon channel it’s always tuned in when Lyla is awake.

 

Evie sits down on the couch and looks over curiously at Lyla’s drawing and asks, “What are you drawing,  _ mi sol _ ?”

 

Lyla looks up at her at the foreign words with a frown and asks, “What’s that?”

 

Evie smiles, “It’s ‘my sun’ in Spanish.”

 

“Oh,” And then, “And what’s Spanish?”

 

Evie laughs.

* * *

When Mal and Evie look at the time, hours later, Lyla deep asleep on her bed as the two women watch television and talk in the living room, they see that it’s past midnight and Mal tells Evie that there’s no way she’s driving at that time.

 

Evie sleeps over for the second time ever.

* * *

When Mal wakes up to a toddler tapping her cheek softly, just like every other morning, she only sighs and prepares herself for another day, knowing that she had a long one ahead of her, what with the opening day of the gallery quickly approaching –  _ only two weeks ahead! _

 

But at least it was Friday and Friday meant –

 

“Evie morning, mommy.” Lyla stage whispers to her, tap-tapping her mother’s cheek softly to get the older blonde to finally open her eyes. “ _ C’mon _ , mommy.”

 

Mal smiles and with her eyes still closed, she pulls her daughter into the bed with her and keeps pulling until the girl is cuddling up with her. “ _ Nooo _ , mommy,  _ out _ of bed!”

 

“Just a sec,” Mal says softly, opening her eyes finally and looking down at the mess of blonde curls that was her daughter.

 

“But, but,  _ mommy _ –“ Lyla whined, “Evie be here soon.”

 

Mal smiles, “Hey, bug?”

 

Lyla hums, arranging the curls that were over her face messily so she could look up at her mother easily while Mal chuckles.

 

“Guess who’s here?” Mal prompts, and Lyla frowns.

 

“You?”

 

“Yeah, but wrong. Guess again.” Mal chuckles. Lyla makes a thoughtful expression before she grins.

 

“Lyla!”

 

Mal chuckles again, “No, bug. Guess again?”

 

“Don’t like guessing, mommy!”

 

Mal fights her laugh at that, “Okay, do you need a hint?”

 

Lyla nods with a pout.

 

“Well, she gives you really good cuddles. Not better than mommy’s, but still good.”

 

Lyla grins happily, “ _ Evie! _ ”

 

“Not so loud, bug.” Mal chuckles and her chuckles turn into laughter when Lyla begins to untangle herself from her mother’s grasp and jumps off the bed, rushing towards the open door in a heartbeat.

 

Mal sits up on the bed and rubs at her eyes with a smile, listening to Lyla’s steps as she runs towards the living room. She gets off her bed, sending a look towards the paintings in the corner of her room to make sure Lyla hadn’t touched anything before waking her up. When she sees that they were in the same position she put them in, ready to be taken to the almost done gallery later that day, she gives a soft proud nod to herself and leaves her room.

* * *

Mal walks out into the living room to find her daughter clambering on top of a sleepy Evie, grinning madly as she arranges herself into a comfortable position.

 

She smiles softly when Evie chuckles at something Lyla whispers to her.

 

* * *

“Wanna stay over again tonight?” Mal asks Evie while they’re sitting down by the kitchen counter, the three girls eating the cereal Lyla had chosen earlier that week. (The younger blonde had gotten a big kiss on the side of her head when Mal had told Evie about how Lyla had chosen that specific cereal box because it was her favorite.)

 

“No, mommy, goin’ with daddy today.” Lyla says, the milk spilling from her mouth as she talked with her mouth full of cereal. Evie chuckled and Mal rolled her eyes, grabbing a napkin and cleaning her mouth with soft taps as Lyla groaned at the interruption.

 

“I was talking to Evie.” Mal tells her once she’s done, wrinkling her nose at her daughter and smiling when the girl does the same face back at her.

 

Evie grins at the two of them before turning to Mal, “I could.”

 

Mal nods, “Cool. I’ll be back here around eight, I think.”

 

“Alright. Should I bring dinner?” Evie asks as she takes another sip of her coffee.

 

“If that’s alright.” Mal responds, and Evie nods to tell her it was.

 

They settle in easy conversation then, barely noticing the domesticity of it all.

 

//

 

Audrey goes on another travel to Mexico the next week, and Mal opens the door to a pouting Evie in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. She’d barely gotten home from the gallery where she’d spent a few hours with an also pouting Ben, and it doesn’t take a lot of guessing for her to figure out that both adults were pouting for the same reason.

 

Lyla watches from the living room floor as Mal and Evie walk towards the couch, Evie laying her head on Mal’s shoulder as the blonde rubs her back with a soft smile.

They’re quiet for about half an hour before Mal asks if she can excuse herself to take a shower and Evie nods, allowing the blonde to move. Mal’s only a few steps away from the couch, ready to move to the bathroom for her shower when she notices Lyla standing up and climbing on the couch, her Jake toy Evie had given her a few months ago safely in her arms as she kneels beside Evie with a curious look and asks, “Are you sad, Evie?”

 

Mal watches silently as Evie gives the toddler a sad smile and nods. Lyla frowns, “Why are you sad?”

 

Evie’s voice is a little hoarse when she answers, “Because I miss my best friend.”

 

“But I’m right here, Evie.” Lyla says, trying to understand, and Mal chuckles silently at that as Evie gives the girl a smile.

 

“My other best friend, sweetie.” She says softly, “Audrey.”

 

“Oh,” Lyla nods in understanding, recalling that Audrey was, in fact, Evie’s friend. “Where is she?”

 

“She’s visiting her family in Mexico.” Evie tells her, and she waits for a moment until Lyla processes her words.

 

“Mexico is far?”

 

“Yes,” Evie nods, sighing. Lyla gives her a thoughtful look, her tiny eyebrows furrowing together minimally as she tries to think of something else to say. A few minutes go by and Mal’s already turning away when Lyla speaks again.

 

“She will come back soon, right?” Lyla asks, a little concerned herself. Evie nods with a smile.

 

“Yes, sweetie. She’ll be back this weekend.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Lyla looks down at her Jake toy and then at Evie, “Do you wanna hug? Mommy hugs me when I feel sad.”

 

Mal’s heart tugs a little as she watches as Evie nods and pulls Lyla in a hug, the little girl settling on her lap and tucking her head under her chin.

 

“I feel better already, mi sol.” Evie says after a moment, and Mal smiles at the nickname. Lyla doesn’t react to it, and Mal wonders if that wasn’t the first time she’s heard it.

* * *

“You know, that’s the first time I see Lyla getting attached to someone so fast.” Mal tells Evie while they eat, later that day.

 

The smile Evie gives her in response is a little blinding.

 

//

 

The night of the gallery opening arrives, and Evie’s stomach is turning in expectation as she parks her car, Audrey on the passenger seat, both women smiling widely when they notice the dozens and dozens of cars parked down the street in front of the gallery and the flashes of photographers outside and inside of the building.

 

“Impressive,” Audrey whistles under her breath, and Evie nods.

 

From the entrance they can see that the place is crowded, and there’s music playing overhead and flashes everywhere, and Evie is pleasantly surprised – she knew it was going to be big, since the gallery was affiliated with Ben’s family’s publishing company and the event of the opening would be sponsored by him, but she didn’t think it’d be  _ this  _ big.

 

Audrey and her have their arms looped together as they walk in, and both women look around at the artwork exposed on the walls – some of them are from Mal’s students, the ones that had dreams of following the same path as their teacher’s and were ecstatic to be offered the opportunity so early on in their careers -, but most of them are Mal’s.

 

Evie looks with almost reverence at the work on the walls that she knows to be Mal’s, feeling like she was having a look inside Mal’s mind as she studied the pictures painted around her. There’s a lot of emotion in Mal’s art, and you didn’t have to know the woman to know that she painted things that were important to her. You could see it by the attention to detail, by the way every little piece of her paintings were carefully drawn and perfectly colored and shaded.

 

It took Evie’s breath away, a little.

 

The further they walk into the gallery, the further they walk into Mal’s life. Some of the paintings are of sceneries and little things and objects, and then there are the paintings where Evie recognizes to be Uma and Harry laughing together, the guy’s arms around his girlfriend as he looks down at her in clear amused adoration – the little details are put together so perfectly that if Evie didn’t know any better, she would’ve assumed it to be a photograph.

 

“It’s like looking at life through her eyes,” Audrey comments quietly as they study the painting in front of them with attention, and Evie nods, a little speechless.

 

A few steps ahead, both women pause at the next painting – the way the picture is painted makes it look like it’s a little hazy, as if the person’s vision was unfocused and only barely conscious, but still focused enough that you could tell the painting was of someone holding a small baby in their arms. A quick scan of the metal plate beside the painting confirms to them that Mal had shared through painting her point of view from the first time Ben had held Lyla in his own arms, the art being titled “3 Years Ago”.

 

“Oh, fuck. This is gonna kill me,” Evie says under her breath, feeling a distinct tingling sensation on the tip of her nose, letting her know that she was one more emotion away from crying. Audrey’s silent beside her, and Evie turns to her and chuckles when she sees that her eyes are turning red. 

 

“Your make-up.” She whispers, and Audrey sniffs.

 

“Please, it’s waterproof,” She responds, and both women laugh quietly at each other as they keep walking.

 

Lyla features in many of Mal’s paintings that include people, and Evie and Audrey spend longer looking at those than the others. It’s when they’re almost reaching the end of the exposition and Evie finally catches sight of Mal beside Ben and talking with their friends, Lyla in his arms as he laughs, that Audrey pauses and grips Evie’s wrist tightly. “Evie. Is  _ your  _ make-up waterproof?”

 

Evie turns her attention back to her friend with a frown, starting to ask what she meant when she lays eyes on the painting in front of them. She gasps.

 

Evie stares at a painting of herself and Lyla, the younger blonde on her lap as they smile at each other, and Evie recognizes their surroundings to be their usual booth at the coffee shop that they frequented from time to time during their Fridays’ breakfast.

 

Evie doesn’t know how long she stays there staring at the painting, feeling warmth and a dozen of other emotions mixed together that she can’t quite comprehend just yet, but her trance is broken once she hears the sound of her name being called by the second person in Mal’s painting besides herself. She looks down and finds Lyla grinning brightly up at her, and she looks up from the blonde to see Ben and Audrey only a few steps ahead, murmuring quietly to each other. Evie looks back at Lyla and grins when the blonde makes her signature grabby hands at her and pulls her up into her arms.

 

Lyla lays her head on her shoulder, playing with the tips of her hair as they look at the painting Evie decided was her favorite. “It’s us, mi sol.”

 

Lyla giggles, “Yes!”

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Yes!” Lyla giggles happily again, her head still on Evie’s shoulder as the woman adjusts her grip on her. “Do  _ you _ like it?”

 

Evie grins down at the little girl in her arms before she looks back at the painting, “Yeah, sweetie,” She says softly, “I really like it.”

* * *

Mal approaches Evie silently later in the night, the woman swinging her daughter back and forth in her arms as they stand together a few steps away from their group, their attention to the painting Mal had been the most interested to hear Evie’s opinion about.

 

She’s a few steps away from the two of them when she sees an older lady approaching them with a smile, looking at the painting and then at them as she says, “That’s a wonderful painting of you and your daughter.”

 

Mal watches as Lyla giggles and Evie shakes her head, still smiling, “Oh, she’s not my daughter. She’s my friend’s daughter, um, the one who painted and owns this gallery, actually.”

 

The woman nods and smiles, taking a step closer and taking Lyla’s hand in hers. “Oh, I see. Well, she’s adorable.”

 

Lyla grins at her, always happy to meet new people, before she nuzzles her head into Evie’s neck shyly. The three women smile at the action.

 

“She is.” Evie agrees, and the older woman smiles and says her goodbyes before she walks away, still smiling. Evie looks down at Lyla with her own smile and Mal chooses that moment to approach them.

 

“Hi.” Mal greets with a grin, and Evie looks up at her, grinning madly at her and then actually squealing. Lyla giggles at the sound. Mal’s grin turns into a smile as she asks, “So, what’d you think?”

 

Mal asks this as she looks around the gallery, but Evie knows that she means what Evie thinks of her work – one painting in particular. Evie’s grin doesn’t leave her face as she gushes, “I  _ love  _ it, Mal. Every last one of them. You’re literally so talented, I –“ And then she pauses, and Mal thinks she’s fighting back tears. Evie shakes her head and lets out a silent chuckle, “I’m so proud of you.”

 

And okay, Mal’s actually heard that a few times tonight – from an actually  _ sobbing  _ Uma, from a teary-eyed Ben, from a choked up Maleficent, who’d taken another long drive just so she could be here for her daughter’s big night, from a smiley Harry as he stared at the painting Mal had done of him and his girlfriend and followed by a sincere  _ “how much for this one?”,  _ from Carlos and Jay, even from Gil, who’d gotten there a little late but still on time to pull Mal’s small form into a big hug and tell her this right before he pulled a (still) crying Uma into their hug with a laugh -, but hearing it from Evie is the first time that the teary-eyes sensation comes accompanied by a deep flush in her cheeks and a weird sensation on her heart and stomach.

 

She beams with pride, not for the first time that night, and says in a soft voice, “Thank you, E.”

 

//

 

Uma’s blabber mouth lets Evie know that Mal’s birthday is approaching, and the blonde glares at her best friend when Evie beams in excitement at that.

 

“Oh, what are your plans? What are you gonna do?” Evie asks excitedly as her and Audrey help Uma around her kitchen for their girl’s night, Lyla out with the boys doing God knows what but hopefully something safe otherwise Ben would be getting an earful once they were back.

 

Uma answers before Mal could, “I can answer that: Nothing. Mal never celebrates her birthday,” She chuckles, shaking her head, “I swear. 25 years, and I don’t think we’ve ever done anything other than like… hugging and me forcing Mal to accept my gifts.”

 

Audrey laughs and Evie gapes at Mal, “Are you serious? You’ve never celebrated your birthday?”

 

Mal nods, “And I don’t plan on starting this year, so don’t get any ideas.”

 

Evie pouts and Uma chuckles, “We once tried to throw her a surprise party and she found out and called the cops.”

 

Audrey actually cackles at that, Evie following her lead and Mal watches with a smile as both women try to control their laughter as Uma begins to tell the story from the beginning.

* * *

Thursday rolled around, and with it came Mal’s birthday.

 

Mal had woken up to dozens of drawings that Lyla had spent the week making and Lyla had been hyperactive the entire morning, giggling and squealing and refusing to leave her mother’s side the whole morning, throwing a tantrum when the older blonde tried to get her dressed for preschool – until Mal had given in and let the toddler tag along with her and drove down to the gallery.

 

Ben had been expecting her there, smiling widely at her and pulling her into a hug, a teasing, “This isn’t a birthday visit and this isn’t a birthday hug, okay?” in midst of all the hugging. And then, to Mal’s horror, he handed her a box wrapped in light pink paper with a soft smile. Noticing her reaction, he’d rolled his eyes and said, “this isn’t for me, this is from Audrey. She asked me to deliver it to you because she knew I was going to not visit you for your not birthday.”  

 

Mal accepted the gift with a grumble that quickly became a soft grin when she opened the box and saw the purple sweater folded neatly inside, the small tag and the note on top of it letting her know it was an original (and limited) _A+E_ creation, followed by a cheeky _“not a birthday present ;) – Audrey”._ Mal had made a mental note then to text Audrey later to let her know she appreciated the _not_ birthday gift.

 

Ben had stuck around for half an hour with her and Lyla before he had to leave for work, and then a little later on Uma and Harry had roped her and Lyla into a “ _ not _ birthday lunch” at Mal’s favorite restaurant, and the younger blonde had squealed and giggled happily from Harry’s arms when Uma wrestled Mal into accepting the gift she’d bought her. (She had, ultimately, succeeded on her mission and Mal now had a new sweater and a new pair of sneakers.)

 

The rest of the day went by without any other unwanted surprises, only text messages from her friends, a phone call from her mother and a huge hug from Jay and Carlos as soon as they heard her arriving home that late afternoon – their arrival obviously being given away by the sounds of Lyla’s babbling as they made their way towards their apartment.

 

The only person she hadn’t heard from so far was Evie, and she thought with a weird, odd feeling in her chest that maybe the brunette had forgotten – but it’s whatever, because you know, Mal doesn’t care about her birthday.  _ So _ .

* * *

It’s almost six in the afternoon that day when there’s a knock on her door, and she opens it to find a grinning Evie, a small cake in her hands as she squeals  _ “happy birthday!”  _ happily to her.

* * *

“Can I take Lyla to the mall with me tomorrow after breakfast?” Evie asks after she finishes eating her slice, and Mal raises an eyebrow at her.

 

“If you’re planning on buying me a present –“ Mal starts. Evie shakes her head, shushing her. “Then why do you need to take her for?”

 

“Mind your business.” Evie says, and then, “So, can I?”

 

Mal sighs, knowing there was no reason for her to fight it, “Fine.”

 

Evie grins.

* * *

Needless to say, Evie sleeps over, but this time fully prepared – she’d brought her toiletries, her pajamas  _ and  _ her outfit for tomorrow.

 

That makes Mal happy, for whatever reason.

* * *

The next morning, Mal takes Lyla into her bedroom after breakfast to get her changed for her outing with Evie to the mall while the brunette gets ready in the bathroom.

 

Evie walks out a little later, ready to face the day with her favorite pair of high waisted light blue skinny jeans, a simple white t-shirt and her favorite pair of sneakers. Mal chuckles under her breath when she sees Evie, and the Latina only understands the cause of Mal’s amusement when she sees Lyla sitting on the couch waiting for her, dressed in her favorite light blue denim overalls over a white t-shirt Evie knew had an Adventure Time print on the front and a pair of white sneakers just like Evie’s on her little feet.

 

Evie squeals. “Mi sol, look, we’re matching!”

 

Lyla looks up at her curiously, and then grins when she understands what Evie meant. She stands from the couch and walks towards Evie, making grabby hands so the woman can pull her up. Mal watches them with a smile on her face, and Evie finds that she can’t quite understand or read the look in the woman’s eyes as she looks at them.

 

“Picture?” Evie asks after a moment, handing Mal her phone, and the blonde chuckles and nods, telling the two matching twins in front of her to smile for the camera.

 

They beam.

* * *

“Hello store, hello chair, hello tree –“ Evie chuckles as Lyla greets everything her little brown eyes take sight, her hand on Evie’s as they stroll through the mall together. “Hello!” Lyla says to an elderly woman sitting on a bench, and Evie smiles politely at the stranger once the old lady looks at Lyla after being spoken to. The old lady smiles.

 

“Oh hello, darling. What’s your name?” She asks kindly, and Lyla grins at the positive response.

 

“Lyla!” She answers, and then, “What’s yours?”

 

“I’m Helena,” The woman tells her, and she watches with an amused smile as Lyla repeats the name over and over for a moment before she turns to Evie, “Your daughter’s the sweetest little thing.”

 

“Oh, she’s not my daughter,” Evie says, chuckling under her breath and fighting the frown that almost forms on her face almost as if by instinct at the way those words taste on her tongue. She licks her lips, “But she sure is.” 

 

Lyla’s already distracted by something else ahead of them so she doesn’t hear their conversation as she begins to pull on Evie’s arm, towards something Evie can’t quite figure out had made her curious, and Evie and the old lady exchange smiles as Evie lets herself be led by the little girl.

 

It takes Evie a few minutes to get Lyla’s focus back on her, but when she does she leans down so she’s at eye-level with the little girl. 

 

“Okay, sweetie, now we’re gonna find something for your mommy, okay?” She asks, and Lyla nods excitedly.

 

“Yes!” And then, “I help!”

 

“Yes, mi sol. You’ll help me choose.”

 

“Yes!” Lyla exclaims again.

 

“Where to first?” Evie asks her, and she watches with a small smile as Lyla makes a thoughtful face for a moment as she looks around. And then her face lights up with a grin.

 

“Toy store!”

 

Evie chuckles and shakes her head, “Okay, good idea. But what about that one store first?”

 

Lyla looks at where Evie is subtly motioning towards and grins when she sees the art supplies exposed through the front windows of the store, “Mommy likes art, we should go there, Evie.”

 

“Yes, mi sol! You’re so smart, that’s such a good idea.” Evie grins when Lyla beams proudly at her.

* * *

Lyla seemed fascinated and curious about everything around her, asking questions to the nice employee that had followed them around for an entire hour – Evie repeatedly apologizing whenever Lyla pulled them to another direction and asked billions of questions about one object. The girl didn’t seem to mind, instead answering to Lyla’s millions of questions with a smile and even going so far as showing her things she thought Lyla would like to see.

 

After they pick everything out, with Lyla in charge of choosing everything, from the colors of the paints to which gift bag to put the presents in – pointing towards one that had little dragons all over it with a nod and a  _ “mommy loves dragons” _ to her newest friend (who just so happened to be the teenage girl that worked at the store and helped them with everything), Evie finally steps out from the art supplies store an hour later, Lyla’s hand in hers as her other held a bag filled with paints, brushes, two art books that Lyla had chosen herself (based purely on how she liked the covers), and a few other random supplies that Evie wasn’t really sure Mal needed but Lyla  _ insisted _ her mother did. 

 

“I think this was a success, what about you, baby?” Evie asks, looking down at the little girl that seemed completely fascinated by a guy with a tattoo sleeve and a mohawk that smiled at Lyla once he noticed her staring.

 

Lyla breaks her trance and looks up at Evie, nodding once as she says, “Yes.” And then, “Now, toy store?”

 

Evie laughs at her one track mind.

* * *

Lyla rushes into the apartment with the gift bag in her hands, and she barely hears it when Evie calls after her to be careful. Evie watches amusedly as Lyla looks around the apartment for her mother until she finds the woman looking at her from over the counter, smiling curiously at her.

 

Lyla rushes towards the kitchen with a beam and all but thrusts the dragon patterned gift bag into her mother’s hands, “Happy happy  _ happy _ birthday!”

 

The smile Mal gives her daughter at that is one of the sweetest smiles Evie’s ever seen, and the older blonde holds the gift bag up and sets it on top of the counter before she leans down and grabs her daughter, giving her a loud kiss on the cheek as the little girl giggles and then setting her down to sit on the counter beside the gift bag.

 

Evie walks towards them, smiling, and wraps Lyla’s little body on a hug from behind, trying to make sure that the toddler doesn’t jump off and hurts herself while her mother is busy with the gift they got her.

 

Lyla leans her back on Evie’s front and both girls watch as Mal looks at the gift bag and gives Lyla a wink, “I love the dragons, bug.”

 

Lyla grins and looks up at Evie proudly. The brunette kisses her forehead quickly and then they turn their attention back to Mal, who’s in the middle of undoing the bow and then peering inside the bag curiously. She pulls out the paints with a smile, ooh’ing and ahh’ing every time she looks at a new one, making Lyla giggle happily and Evie smile. She smiles at the random supplies Lyla had insisted they buy – surprising Evie when she says that she actually  _ did _ need some of them and grinning proudly at her daughter when Evie tells her Lyla had picked them out – and then she takes the two books Lyla had picked out and runs her hands through the covers as she read the titles.

“Did you pick these?” She asks Evie, an eyebrow raised as she turns the books over. She sounds impressed.

 

“Nope. Lyla did.” Evie tells her, popping the ‘p’, and Mal turns her attention to her daughter, now thoroughly impressed.

 

“Did you really, bug?” She asks, and when Lyla nods happily and proudly, she leans down and kisses her face over and over and over until Lyla is squealing in Evie’s arms.

 

“These are like, two of the highest rated art books of last year, according to Times.” Mal tells her once she pulls away from her daughter, and Evie raises an impressed eyebrow.

 

“She picked them out because she liked the covers,” She tells Mal with a smile, and then, “Your daughter is an art genius.”

 

Mal beams proudly.

* * *

She opens the door to let Ben in a few hours later, Evie and Lyla watching a movie together in the living room as she flips through the pages of her new books, and Ben smiles when Lyla squeals and rushes towards him with a huge smile and a lot of incoherent rambling about her mall adventure with Evie that morning and about the art store and her newest friend, and Ben picks her up in his arms and looks at his best friend with an amused smile as he asks, “So, I take it you had a good birthday for once?”

 

Mal rolls her eyes at him and doesn’t dignify his teasing with an answer, but the silly grin on her face is enough for him to know that the answer was yes.

 

//

 

Weeks go by, and soon another Thursday rolls around and finds Evie spending the night at Mal’s once again. This time, though, is because she had offered to look after Lyla as Mal had to stay at the gallery until late for an event that day and didn’t know when she would get back.

 

She’d fallen asleep after putting Lyla to sleep a little after nine, exhausted because looking after a toddler as active as the little blonde for an entire day was not easy; and it’s still dark and silent inside the apartment when she feels a warm breath near her face. She jolts awake, and finds Lyla’s brown eyes looking at Evie with hopeful eyes.

 

“Evie? You awake?” Lyla asks in a whisper.

 

Evie nods, and asks in another whisper, pushing her hair out of her face as she turns a little on the couch so she can look at Lyla properly, “What you doin’ up, sweetie?”

 

“I’m still sleeping,” Lyla whispers back, and a quick look at the digital clock on the top of a shelf in the living room tells Evie that it’s barely past 1AM, “Can I stay sleeping with you?”

 

Her voice sounds hopeful as she looks at Evie with a slight pout – and her face looks so reminiscent of her mother’s that it breaks Evie’s heart a little. The brunette nods and shuffles back a little on the couch so she can make room for the toddler, and Lyla smiles lightly as she climbs up on the couch, this time toy-free as she’s left her toys sleeping soundly on her bed, and snuggles her little body into Evie’s with a happy sigh as the woman hugs her from behind, tucking her safely under her chin. It takes a few minutes but soon Evie feels Lyla’s body relaxing against her own and her breathing slowing down again until all she can really hear is her little sighs, and she feels herself starting to fall asleep again.

 

Before she could fully fall asleep, then, she hears the distinct sound of keys on the door and then the sound of the door slowly opening as Mal focuses on not making a lot of noise as she gets home from a long night of work. Evie focuses on making her breathing steady and on making sure her eyes don’t twitch when there’s movement in the room as Mal stops in her tracks, taking in the scene in front of her in the dark room.

 

She’s not exactly sure why she doesn’t want Mal to know that she’s awake, but she only really allows herself to open her eyes once she’s sure Mal’s no longer looking at them, moving towards her bedroom a few minutes later.

 

//

 

“So, I was just on the phone with Chad.” Audrey says as a greeting as she walks out of her bedroom early one morning. Evie looks up at her from where she sits at the sewing machine.

 

Audrey doesn’t say anything after that, looking at Evie with a wide grin on her face for a moment too long. Evie raises an eyebrow, “Well, what is it?”

 

Before Evie can fully register it, Audrey’s squealing in front of her and jumping a little, and she’s a mix of amused and confused as she looks at her friend having a mini breakdown in front of her.

 

Audrey calms down, then, and takes a deep breath before she squeals again.

 

“Audrey, seriously, what is it?” Evie questions her friend through her chuckles, and Audrey tries to control herself enough so she can share the reason behind her squealing with her friend.

 

“He – oh,  _ God _ , Evie, I’m so excited – okay, let me gather my thoughts,” Audrey takes a deep breath as she sits on the arm of the couch facing Evie, “Alright, so you know those outfits we sent him last month?” Evie nods, “Okay, so,  _ oh my God _ , I think I might faint, but he wore them for this event, right? And Evie, oh my God –“

 

“Just say it!” Evie said, on the edge of her seat.

 

“Okay, sorry, sorry. He wore them for this event, and this big shot fashion designer and investor got in contact with him and asked him about his outfit and the designer, and Chad told him all about us and everything and, oh my  _ God _ , Evie –“ A squeal, and then, “He’s flying us to Paris soon so we can meet with him and talk and –“

 

Audrey’s interrupted by Evie’s scream.

* * *

Evie barely makes it three minutes inside Mal’s apartment before she’s squealing madly, much like Audrey earlier that morning, and pulling the woman into a big hug. Mal pats her back once, then twice, and then she says, “Um, hello to you too?”

 

Evie laughs as she pulls away and Mal’s a little taken back by how close they’re standing as Evie smiles widely at her, “I’ve got the greatest news ever.”

 

“I love great news,” Mal says, and then she leads an over excited Evie towards the couch, the living room vacant as Lyla was across the hall, hanging out with Carlos and his dog Dude while Jay was working.

 

“Mal, I’m so happy, I just –“ Another squeal, and then Mal chuckles as Evie jumps and bounces a little on her seat before she takes a deep breath and settles down, “Okay, okay. So, you know Chad?” Mal nods, “I told you he’s a model, right? And we like, send him clothes we make him from time to time, and he wore this outfit we sent him a while ago to this big event in Paris and –“Another squeal, and Mal thinks she knows where this is going, “And this super important fashion designer and investor got in contact with him because he really liked our designs and then –“

 

There’s a pause in which Evie takes a deep breath and Mal thinks she might start crying, and then, “And Chad told him all about us and now we’re flying to Paris soon to meet with him and talk about him investing in our line.”

 

Mal thinks  _ she  _ might start crying as she jumps and pulls Evie in a huge hug, “Fuck, Evie, that’s amazing! Holy shit –“ There’s a pause as they look at each other, wide grins on their faces, and then, “I’m so so happy for you guys, wow.”

 

Evie squeals again, and she begins to explain to Mal exactly how everything would work and about the fashion designers that had been invested on by this guy and skyrocketed and are now big names in the fashion industry, and Mal listens to every little detail with a big grin on her face.

* * *

They’re silent for a moment after Evie finishes telling her about her and Audrey’s plans for their trip to Paris, Mal adopting a thoughtful look on her face after Evie tells her they might stay for an extra week or two to spend some time in their favorite city in the world and with their friend that they missed dearly.

 

“That sounds like an awesome trip,” Mal says after a moment when she notices that the wide grin on Evie’s face hadn’t diminished, and then, more softly, “We’ll miss you while you’re away.”

 

Mal watches in horror as the grin on Evie’s face shrinks down in size as she says, “Oh, I guess that’s the bad part,” She says just as softly, “I’ll miss you guys too.”

 

Mal doesn’t want her to think about bad parts, especially when the good parts are so incredible, so she says, “We’ll still be here when you get back, though. Waiting for our Parisian gifts.”

 

Evie chuckles at that, “I’ll bring so many gifts. Anything I see that reminds me remotely of you guys, I’ll take it.”

 

“Alright.” Mal says with an amused chuckle, and they’re silent for another moment before Evie sighs. “What?”

 

“Lyla will probably be so grown by the time we return.”

 

Mal actually laughs at that, frowning as she says, “Aren’t you gonna be gone for like, two weeks? That’s a lot of pressure on Lyla’s genetics.”

 

Evie laughs along with her as she settles back on the couch, a thoughtful look on her face as she smiles up at the nothing, obviously daydreaming about her trip. Mal smiles softly as she watches her friend in silence.

 

Evie’s still looking away from Mal as she says, voice soft as ever, “I’d take you with me if I could,” And then she glances at Mal, “You and Lyla, I mean.”

 

“Yeah?” Mal asks, something tugging at her heart at the way Evie’s looking at her.

 

“In a heartbeat.” Evie nods with a small smile.

 

//

 

Evie’s just finishing hanging the last of her freshly washed clothes when from the corner of her eyes she notices a piece of folded paper lying on the bottom of her closet, clearly having fallen from the pocket of a jacket and going unnoticed until now. With a curious frown, she leans down and picks it up, studying it curiously for a moment before she unfolds it and before she knows it, a wide grin appears on her face as she stares at the Princess Bubblegum drawing with “ _ TO EVIE FROM LYLA _ ” written on the top corner of it.

 

Thinking back to that day all those months ago, Evie walks towards the cork board hanging on her wall above her desk and takes down a few pictures from high school and college and replaces them with Lyla’s drawing, deeming it more important than those.

 

She smiles softly as she runs her fingers over the paper with affection.

 

Pulling out her phone, she sends Mal a text.

 

**Evie:** breakfast at the coffee shop tomorrow?

 

Mal’s response comes right away.

 

**Mal:** sounds like a plan. :)

* * *

Evie’s watching them silently as Mal helps Lyla with her food, both blondes giggling softly at each other as Lyla rubs her face up and down Mal’s arm like a cat as she waits for her mother to finish peeling the pink paper from her cupcake so she can eat them more easily.

 

Once she’s done, she sets the chocolate cupcake down on the plate in front of Lyla and the toddler looks up at her with a grin as she says, “Thanks, mommy.”

 

Mal nods at her with a smile before she turns to Evie, then, and smirks when she sees that the brunette hadn’t touched her own cupcake, too distracted by the two girls in front of her as she held her coffee in both of her hands and close to her face.

 

“Do you need me to peel the paper off the cupcake for you, as well?” Mal asks teasingly, and Evie gives her a smile and an eye roll before she sets her coffee down and picks the chocolate cupcake up.

 

Evie had been weirdly nostalgic since finding the drawing the prior night, and with a look around the coffee shop as she eats and Mal takes a gulp of her coffee, eyes trained on her daughter to see if she was actually eating her food, she says, more to herself than anything, “I was really nervous then.”  

 

Mal looks up at her with a confused frown, “Huh?”

 

“Oh, um,” Evie licks her lips, “I mean, that first day – um, when we had coffee here.”

 

Mal’s frown deepens, as if even more confused by that elaboration, “You were?” Evie nods, “That’s… that’s surprising. I mean,  _ I  _ was really nervous.”

 

“I know,” Evie says, teasing, and Mal rolls her eyes at that but smiles anyway, “I was nervous because I wanted to make a good impression.”

 

“You… what?”

 

“I mean, I was so impressed by you – truly. I can’t explain it exactly, but I’d always been curious about you back then, and to meet you again and find out that you were leading this… wild, incredible life was just… I don’t know, it was impressive.” Evie shrugs, a little lost in her own thoughts. “I’ve told you this before, but you just… fascinate me.”

 

“Huh.”

 

Mal’s silent for a moment, and Evie watches her as the blonde processes her words, a thoughtful expression on her face before she meets Evie’s eyes again and says, her tone a little different from the ones she’s heard coming from her before, “Thank you.”

 

“Of course.” They’re silent for another moment as they eat, each woman lost in their own thoughts as they listen to Lyla hum to a song they don’t recognize under her breath.

* * *

“Hey, E, do you have anything planned for Wednesday?” Mal asks a few minutes later. When Evie shakes her head no, Mal continues, “Um, do you think you could watch Lyla for me? I mean, it’s totally fine if you can’t, but there’s this event scheduled down at the gallery and the people who would usually watch her can’t on Wednesday and I was gonna call our back-up babysitter but Lyla asked for you, so-“

 

“Do you want me to pick her up from school?” Evie asks, interrupting Mal’s nervous rambling. The blonde bites her lip for a moment.

 

“Would you, please?”

 

“Of course, Mal!” Evie chuckles, “It’d be my pleasure. You really don’t have to be nervous about asking me to watch her anymore, I’ve already done this before.”

 

“Okay,” And then, “Thank you, E.”

 

“Of course.” Evie smiles, “Um, should I bring a slip or a note or something? Or do you have to call them ahead so they let Lyla come with me?”

 

“Um.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing,” Mal tries to deflect, avoiding Evie’s curious eyes as she looks down at Lyla, finding that the girl was now too busy watching a dog on the other side of the street through the window.

 

“Mal, what is it? You’re being weird.”

 

“I’m always weird.”

 

Evie chuckles, “That’s true, but this is something else. What is it?”

 

Mal sighs, “Um, I don’t – I don’t have to tell them, or anything. Um, I already asked them to add you to the list. Of people to pick her up and emergency contacts, I mean.”

 

Evie pauses, and then a grin starts to grow on her face until she’s smiling brightly at Mal at that. “You did?”

 

Mal nods, feeling strangely embarrassed, “A while ago.”

 

Evie’s smile, if that’s even possible, grows another two sizes at that, “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, dude.” Mal says, trying to make this moment a little less –  _ less _ , and Evie rolls her eyes at the word.

 

Lyla, thankfully, chooses that moment to speak up, “Can I ask Jane another cupcake? Mine’s lonely inside my tummy.”

 

Evie grins at the familiarity of it all, the nostalgia hitting her again full force.

 

//

 

Audrey tags along with her on Wednesday to pick Lyla up, and the blonde grins happily up at them once she sees the two women standing on the doorway of her daycare classroom.

 

Evie drives them back to Mal’s apartment to pick up some of Lyla’s toys and clothes so the girl could sleep over at theirs since her mother wouldn’t be home until later and Audrey and Evie still had some things to sort out for their trip to Paris that would be happening two weeks from now.

* * *

Lyla’s lying on her belly with her face propped up on her hands as she watches the television quietly while the two women sit on the couch, Evie’s notebook propped up on the arm of the couch beside her, her browser on a map of Paris as Audrey and her scroll through their phones, both women making small checklists of things and places they’d like to squeeze into their two weeks trip to the city.

 

Evie’s focus, however, is lost when Lyla laughs at something on the television and she’s once again reminded that she’ll spend two weeks away from her little sunshine, and the thought makes her want to cry. Audrey looks up at Evie when her question is met with silence, and she sighs softly when she sees her friend watching the toddler lying on their floor with a sad smile.

 

“Hey,” Audrey says softly, “You okay?”

 

Evie looks at her, then, and nods softly, “Yeah, it’s just…”

 

Audrey gives her a soft smile, “I know.”

 

Both women turn their attention back to the toddler, and it’s a moment before Audrey turns to Evie and says, “I’m really glad that we moved here and I forced you to do the grocery shopping that one day.”

 

There’s a lot of meaning behind Audrey’s words – because truly, if it weren’t for Evie and Mal meeting then, many of the changes that had happened in the women’s lives in the last few months would’ve never happened. Evie seems to catch the meaning, because she gives Audrey a small smile and says, “Me too.”

 

//

 

The week before Evie and Audrey leave for their trip is a chaotic one for the brunette with all the planning and packing and driving around town to pick up last minute things, and Mal’s only form of contact with the woman is through phone calls at the end of the day, when Lyla’s in bed and she’s a few minutes from falling asleep herself, completely exhausted from a day of work  _ and  _ taking care of an uncharacteristically moody Lyla – Uma mentions one afternoon that it’s the lack of Evie, but Mal ignores that, hoping that would not be the case. Not when Evie was about to leave for two weeks.

 

(But oddly sympathizing with the sentiment, even if unconsciously.)

 

That Friday is one of the rare weeks that Lyla isn’t at Ben’s by the time the evening rolls around, the girl’s father taking the weekend to spend with his girlfriend before her big trip and asking if it was okay for Lyla to spend the weekend at Mal’s – the blonde agreeing, of course, because Evie had texted her earlier that day telling her she was coming over for dinner and Lyla missed Evie terribly during her very first Evie-less ‘Evie morning’ since the little girl had met the woman.

 

Mal barely has time to get in a self-initiated hug with Evie after she opens the door to find the woman standing on the other side, smiling widely at her, before Lyla comes rushing towards them from the living room, chanting a string of ‘ _ Evie _ ’s in different tones and volume, pulling the woman by the hand towards the living room, barely giving Evie any time to think before she’s already rambling to her about her week.

* * *

Lyla has her body draped across the couch and on top of her mother and Evie’s as she sleeps as the two women watch their cherished reality television later that night, and there’s a moment in which Mal feels like she has to say something, because somehow it feels important that she does, “We missed you this week.”

 

Evie looks at Mal, then, an unreadable look in her eyes as she says softly, “I missed you guys, too.”

 

There’s a beat, and then Mal says, “We’re going to miss you while you’re away.”

 

Evie reaches out over Lyla’s body so she can grasp the hand that rests on the toddler’s back and grasps Mal’s fingers in hers, “I’ll miss you guys, too.”

* * *

Lyla stirs a few minutes later, blinking sleepily up at Mal and then at Evie, and Mal sighs before she starts to shuffle, “Time for bed, bug.”

 

She makes to get up with Lyla in her arms, then, but Lyla shakes her head, her eyes trained on Evie as she holds her mother back by taking her tiny hands to the mother’s shoulders as if to stop her from getting up. Mal frowns down at her as Lyla looks up at her for a second before she looks at Evie.

 

There’s a pause as both women look at the sleepy toddler confusedly, only to understand what she meant when she gets off from Mal’s lap and scoots closer to Evie’s until she can throw herself softly on the woman’s lap, tucking her little head softly under the woman’s chin as her little arms raise up to wrap themselves around Evie’s neck in a hug.

 

“C’mon, bug, you gotta get to bed –“ Mal begins to say, but Lyla shakes her head again, her hands wrapping themselves tighter around Evie’s neck. Both women stare at each other dumbly for a moment before Mal tries again, raising her hands as if to take Lyla from Evie’s arms, “Bug –“

 

“No, mommy. I want Evie.” Lyla says, her sleepy voice raising an octave.

 

“You want Evie to put you to bed?”

 

A nod, and Evie blinks at Mal, still confused by the situation, “I can do it, if that’s okay with you.”

 

Mal nods, “Yeah, of course.” She smiles when Evie grins up at her. “Night, bug.” She says then, running a hand through her daughter’s hand softly for a moment before Evie awkwardly stands from the couch, her arms around Lyla holding the girl safely against her as she does so.

 

“Night, mommy.” Lyla says without opening her eyes. Mal watches with a small smile as Evie and Lyla disappear into her daughter’s bedroom.

* * *

“She really loves you.” Mal says after a moment when Evie’s settled beside her on the couch again, their attention turned back to the show on Mal’s television.

 

“I know,” Evie responds, “She told me just now.”

 

Mal grins, “She did?”

 

“Yeah.” Evie nods, and then, “I love her too, by the way.” A pause, and then, “Both of you.”

 

Mal doesn’t really know what to say to that, or how to react to the feeling that rises in her stomach at  _ hearing _ that, so instead she settles for leaning her head on Evie’s shoulder and grasping the woman’s hand in her own as they watch the show playing ahead of them with soft smiles on their faces.

 

//

 

Mal’s helping Lyla get dressed for a day out with her godparents on Sunday morning when the toddler speaks up for the first time in a few minutes from where she’s sat on her bed, waiting for her mother to find her favorite pair of socks as she kicks her legs around.

 

“Mommy?”

 

“Yeah, bug?”

 

“How come Evie going away?”

 

Mal pauses her search for the girl’s socks as she turns around and says, “Well, her and Audrey have something important to take care of, something that will make both of them very happy once it’s done.”

 

“Yeah?” Lyla asks, seemingly pleased that two of her favorite people would be happy about something. Mal nods. Lyla’s silent for another moment before she speaks up again, “But why they have to go far away? Why not take care here with me?”

 

Mal gives her a soft smile as she walks towards her daughter’s bed and sits down, pulling her closer to her until the girl is sitting on her lap, her head on her mother’s shoulder as she looks up at her curiously. “Because, bug, sometimes life is like that.”

 

“I don’t like it very much. It don’t feel nice, mommy.”

 

Mal gives her daughter a squeeze before she says, “I know, bug. It really doesn’t. But you wanna know something?”

 

“Mm?”

 

“They’ll be back before you know it, and they’ll bring gifts and stories and you’ll be so happy to see them that you won’t even remember how you felt when they left.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

“I’m gonna miss Evie while she’s away, mommy.” Lyla says after a moment, and Mal’s heart breaks when she looks down at her daughter and sees that her brown eyes are filling up with tears.

 

“I know, bug.” Mal says, “I will too.”

 

Lyla frowns when she sees the sad look on her mother’s face, her own tears forgotten as she takes her mother’s face in between her little hands as she sits up straighter, “But she’ll be back, mommy! Right? With Audrey and gifts and and and – lots of cuddles, okay?”

 

Mal smiles softly at her daughter, nodding at her before she says, “You’re right, bug. You’re so smart.”

 

Lyla grins proudly at her, sadness forgotten.

 

//

 

Evie comes over the night before the day she and Audrey leave for their trip, and Lyla asks Evie to put her to bed again. Mal listens from the living room as Evie reads Lyla a bedtime story, the little girl giggling at the voices Evie makes for each character.

 

When their soft giggles and the sound of Evie’s reading become soft mumbles, Mal stands from the couch and walks towards her daughter’s doorway, hiding behind the half-open door as she listens to the soft conversation between the two.

 

“Is Paris far like Mexico, Evie?”

 

A pause, and then, “A little more, mi sol.”

 

“Oh, okay.” There’s the sound of shuffling, and then, “Will you dream of me there? Then I dream of you here and we meet and play and and – and mommy can come, too. And daddy! And Audrey, and and – will you, Evie?”

 

Mal smiles when she hears the sound of Evie’s soft chuckling before the woman says, “Yes, mi sol. I will. Every night.”

 

“Okay.” And then, “You’ll be back soon, yes?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And and – I won’t even notice you’re gone?”

 

“Yeah, baby. I’ll be back so soon you won’t even have time to miss me.”

 

“Okay.” More shuffling followed by a yawn, “I’m ready to sleep now, Evie.”

 

“Okay.” Then there’s the sound of what Mal thinks to be a kiss being laid on someone’s cheek, and then, “Goodnight, mi sol.”

 

“Night night, Evie. Love you.” Lyla says, her voice muffled by the sleepiness, and Mal’s heart feels full of the familiar affection she feels every time her daughter does anything remotely adorable.

 

“Love you too, mi sol, very much. Sweet dreams.”

* * *

When the episode of the show they’ve been watching ends, Evie turns to Mal, her eyes looking sad for maybe the first time ever since they’ve met, and she says, “I should get going.”

 

Mal nods, and they stand up from the couch and Mal watches silently as Evie picks up her things and they hover at the door, looking at each other in silence for a moment before Mal finally breaks it, “I, um, I’ll miss you.”

 

“Yeah. I’ll miss you, too.” Evie says, biting her lip, and Mal can’t really help herself.

 

She pulls Evie into a bone crushing hug, and Evie buries her face on the crook of Mal’s neck as the blonde holds her fists on the back of Evie’s shirt, not wanting to let go but knowing she’d have to eventually.

 

It’s the longest hug they’ve ever had, and when they pull away, Evie immediately grasps Mal’s hands in her own and runs her thumbs softly over the woman’s paler skin as they share soft grins with each other, and Evie mirrors Mal’s sentiment from minutes earlier, deciding that she really doesn’t want to let the blonde’s hands go.

 

“I hope everything works out for you two, and that you have an amazing time there.” Mal says after a moment.

 

Evie grins widely at her, “I will,” And then, “I’ll call you, and post pictures, and just – I’ll keep in touch, yeah?”

 

Mal nods, biting her bottom lip as she does so, and Evie leans forward and presses a kiss on Mal’s cheek that makes the blonde’s heart kick start against her chest, for some reason, and her grip on Evie’s hands tighten for a second.

 

When Evie pulls away, her hands still holding on to Mal’s, she has a grin on her face, “Oh, and M?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Dream of me so we can all meet with Lyla in dreamland while I’m away?”

 

Mal grins and nods, still feeling a little breathless, “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

//

Mal’s watching Lyla coloring her favorite cartoon characters on the living room floor as the same characters move around on the television screen, having for the first time in a few weeks requested her mother to draw the outline for her to color, when her phone chimes in with a new text message.

 

**Evie:** is it weird that I miss you guys already?

 

Mal smiles.

* * *

Mal, Ben and the other adults present in Lyla’s life make plans for each and every day of the upcoming two weeks, hellbent on distracting the toddler who wakes up every morning questioning her mother on whether Audrey and Evie were back already – including the very morning the two women had left.

 

Jay and Carlos take Lyla to an amusement park on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday, Uma, having taken the day off from work so this could happen, takes her to the beach and comes back with a giggling, sun-freckled Lyla with dozens of stories about how she wants to be a fish when she grows up.

 

Thursday finds Lyla at the gallery with her mother, greeting every newcomer with a huge grin and an incoherent, but adorable, description of every artwork around the premises. On Friday, Ben and Mal, for the first time in months, actually, take Lyla out together. They take her to the zoo, because that’s what she had requested as she watched to some children-friendly animal documentary on NatGeo the prior night.

 

While Lyla is busy watching the little monkeys jump around and asking them about their day, Ben looks at Mal thoughtfully for a moment before he says, “You’re happy.”

 

“Mm?” Mal turns to him, a smile still on her face from watching her daughter giggle at the monkey hanging upside down on the tree branch.

 

“You’re happy,” Ben repeats, “I mean, I’d like to think you’ve always been, but since – um, since you met Evie, you’ve had this…  _ air  _ about you. It’s nice. I like it.”

 

Mal’s silent for a moment as she processes his words, and Ben continues, “I like Evie, you know. I think she’s good for you and Lyla.”

 

“Ben, what are you saying?”

 

“I’m not saying anything,” Ben chuckles, “Just… I’m happy that you’re happy.”

 

Mal eyes him curiously for a moment, and when she doesn’t see anything other than sincerity in Ben’s eyes, she allows herself to give him a small smile. “Thanks, Ben.”

 

“Anytime.” He winks, and they chuckle as they turn their attention back to Lyla, who’s still too busy to pay their parents any mind as she watches her apparently new favorite animals.

 

“And Ben?” Mal says after a minute, eyes still trained on her daughter.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m happy that you’re happy, too.”

 

She doesn’t have to look at him to know that he’s grinning.

* * *

On Saturday, Evie Skype calls her when it’s barely past 10AM for Mal but it’s already the night for her in Paris. She’s sitting down on her hotel bed as she tells Mal about her trip and Chad and how her meeting with the investor went – turns out, he  _ really  _ saw the potential in Audrey and Evie’s designs and was more than willing to invest in their company.  Mal and her squeal together for what feels like an entire hour, Evie sharing every little thing about the meeting that had taken place earlier that day, and they only really stop when Lyla sits down on Mal’s lap and takes hold of the conversation, telling Evie all about how monkeys were her newest and most favorite animals now, and about how she was going to the aquarium later that day with Uma and Harry as the pixelated version of the woman on the screen listens on with a huge smile on her face.

 

When they end the call, Evie yawning madly and Mal telling her to go to sleep and that they’d talk again later, Lyla jumps from Mal’s lap hurriedly and rushes to her bedroom, and Mal walks after her with a curious frown and stops at the girl’s doorway when she sees Lyla jumping on her bed, holding her Jake plushie close to her chest as she closes her eyes tightly.

 

Mal waits for a moment before she asks, sounding amused, “What are you doing, bug?”

 

“I’m meeting Evie in dream world, mommy. Now  _ shh  _ so I can focus!”

 

Mal shakes her head then, extremely endeared by her daughter, and closes the girl’s door halfway so she can leave her to it.

* * *

Ben takes Lyla to visit her grandparents on Monday, and on Tuesday Mal and Uma spend their afternoon walking around town with Lyla, letting her walk into any shops that get her attention and letting her get not one, but two ice cream cones. Evie and Audrey are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, and thankfully Mal had been smart enough not to share that information with her daughter, otherwise Wednesday would’ve been  _ very  _ different from the calm day that they’d had together.

 

On Thursday, thankfully for Mal, she was needed at the gallery for most of the day and Lyla had spent the first half of the day at the daycare, and the second half at Carlos and Jay’s, chasing Dude – which was their dog - around the apartment as Carlos watched amusedly from the couch.

Mal can barely contain her wide grin when a little before she finally falls asleep on her own bed later that night, her phone buzzes with a new message.

 

**Evie:** so, do you know where a girl can get some good company for breakfast tomorrow morning around here? I just moved.

* * *

When Mal opens the door early the next morning, Lyla is sitting upside down on the couch as she waits for her mother to finish preparing her strawberry pancakes, and she finds Evie grinning widely at her, her hair down in waves and her skin a little more tanned than it’d been when she left. Mal barely has time to register the bag Evie puts down on the floor before she tackles Mal in a hug. Her grip is tight as she holds Mal against her with all of her might, and Mal doesn’t need to look to know that Evie’s smile is just as big as her own.

 

When they pull away, they look down to find Lyla looking up at Evie with wide eyes, as if barely believing that the woman was really there, and it takes her a few seconds before she walks towards Evie and makes her signature grabby hands.

 

Evie’s grin, if that’s even possible, widens as she leans down and pulls the younger blonde up and holds her against her chest tightly, Lyla’s head tucked in the crook of her neck as she hugs Evie just as tightly.

“Hi, mi sol.” Evie says softly to her daughter, and Mal smiles widely because that’s the first time Evie’s spoken since Mal opened the door and she hadn’t realized how much she missed hearing Evie’s voice in person until she heard it again. Lyla mirrors her mother’s smile at hearing the nickname she had missed being called for the last two weeks. Then, Evie looks at her from over Lyla’s shoulder with a soft smile, “Hi, M.”

 

“Hi, E.”

 

Evie goes to put Lyla down, but the girl’s grip on her tightens and she gets the message quite clearly: Lyla has no intention of letting her go just yet.

* * *

Evie apparently spent a small fortune on gifts for her and Lyla, but especially for Lyla. After they’ve finished eating and Lyla and Evie’s excited rambles to each other about the things they did during those two weeks they spent apart die down a bit, Evie presents them both with a bag full of gifts that she’d brought along with her, and Lyla seems especially fascinated with the Eiffell Tower snow globe that Evie had gotten her, asking for her mother to shake the object a few times and watching with wide eyes as the small glitter-like flakes danced around the round glass.

 

As soon as they finish going through the bag of gifts, Evie’s smile turns amused as she looks at Lyla and says, “Now you wait for Audrey to give you the gifts she got you.”

 

Mal chuckles when Lyla turns to her with wide eyes and asks, “Is Christmas  _ now,  _ mommy?”

 

Evie seems confused – and amused – by the question, and that makes Mal laugh harder.

* * *

A little later, the three girls are sitting on the couch in the living room, Lyla on Evie’s lap as they giggle to each other and Evie listens with attention as Lyla tells her about the things she saw during the last two weeks and her visit to the zoo, Mal only speaking up when Lyla looks at her questioning when she can’t remember the name of an animal.

 

The older blonde watches with a small smile as Evie hugs Lyla closer to her, smiling down softly at her daughter as Lyla gets more and more excited about whatever she’s telling Evie. Evie hums and questions Lyla at the right times, and once Lyla’s done she begins to tell the younger blonde about her trip and about the things and the people she’s seen that made her think of her, and Mal realizes that she  _ really  _ missed this.

 

Missed hearing Evie talk to her daughter, missed her smiles, missed the sound of her voice – missed  _ her.  _ Because she had spent the entire time during the last few weeks making sure that Lyla was distracted and entertained so that she didn’t miss Evie or Audrey, she hadn’t realized that she was also trying to distract  _ herself  _ from missing Evie. And with that comes the realization that her friends were not only trying to distract Lyla, but  _ her _ as well, and succeeding in such a way that Mal hadn’t realized she truly, deeply missed Evie until the woman was sitting on her couch again, smiling softly at her daughter as she told her about her trip.

 

When Evie senses her looking, she looks up and brown eyes meet with green and suddenly Mal is filled with warmth and affection and – and  _ so much _ love.

 

_ Fuck. _ Mal thinks.  _ When did I fall in love with Evie? _

 

Her heart, not for the first time since she’s met Evie at the supermarket months ago, kick starts against her chest and her mouth dries up and there’s a weird feeling in her stomach –

 

She loves Evie.

 

No. More than that, she was  _ in _ love with Evie, and the thought of that makes her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOO... the weather, huh? And... the economy and stuff... whew!
> 
> (Let me know what you think? And come talk to me @ evies-grimhildes on tumblr? And I'll see you in the final update? Oh, man.)


	5. Part V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll leave the notes for the end, but just a tiny disclaimer? These are 24k words that I wrote here. So naturally, I only really revised it once. So if there are any mistakes, please, kindly look the other way. I'm exhausted. Thanksss!

The next day, Ben had picked Lyla up before lunch time so she could go out with him and Audrey and then spend the weekend at his, and Mal finds herself sitting by Uma’s kitchen counter, watching silently and deep in thought as her friend walks around the kitchen trying to make a recipe from scratch as they listen to Harry and Gil struggle to set up a piece of furniture in the living room, Gil repeating every few minutes that  _ I don’t know what you’re saying anymore, Harry  _ every time the Scottish guy’s accent becomes more and more intelligible as his frustrations begin to take a hold of him.

Uma’s chuckling at the two of them as she sits down on the stool beside Mal, setting two cups of coffee on the counter as she turns to her thoughtful friend, “Cup of coffee for your thoughts?”

Mal breaks out of her trance with a start, then, and turns to her friend to find Uma looking at her curiously, her half smile still in place as she slides Mal her coffee slowly. Mal takes it in between her hands and looks down at the counter for a moment before she says, her voice small and unsure, “I, um… Realized something.”

“Okay.” Uma waits.

“I…” A deep breath, and then Mal’s looking up at her best friend and meeting her green eyes with Uma’s dark brown ones, “I’m in love with Evie.”

Her heart begins to beat faster against her chest, just like it did when she’d realized it for the first time, and she’s a little comforted and surer of herself when she sees the bright, excited smile on Uma’s lips that mirror the look in her eyes.  She takes a deep breath as she continues, “I don’t know what to do, but at the same time, I’m not like... panicking because I don’t know what to do like I normally do. I just feel… I don’t know. Weird. But good.” Another pause as Uma’s smile widens, “Happy.”

Uma’s smile doesn’t waver as she says, “Mal, this is great. Like, this is greater than great. Seriously. And as for not knowing what to do and your lack of mindless and pointless panicking… that’s not a bad thing, you know? You don’t always have to know what to do. Sometimes you just gotta… feel.”

Mal nods, processing the words, and Uma continues, “And honestly, we were all kinda wondering who would realize first.”

Mal frowns. “Huh?” 

Uma gives her a teasing grin, “Mal, you two are kinda the last two people to realize that you’re in love with each other.”

“You’re saying…?”

“I’m saying Carlos and Jay owe me and Harry like, fifty bucks.” Uma says finally, deciding not to elaborate, and Mal gapes.

“You guys bet on us?”

Uma doesn’t answer her, instead only taking a sip of her coffee as she waits for her friend to gather her own thoughts. It takes Mal a moment before she shakes her head clear and looks at Uma with a frown, “So, I should like, tell Evie, right?”

Uma only looks at her like she’s dumb, and that’s enough of an answer for her.

//

Evie and Audrey are sitting down on their couch after they finally finish unpacking their bags as the television plays softly as background noise while Evie listens to Audrey tell her about her weekend with Ben and Lyla and how much she’d missed him and how Lyla absolutely loved the gifts she’d brought, happy that her friend was happy and even happier that Lyla and her got along so well, when the conversation turns to her and how her reunion with Mal went, and Evie can’t really stop herself from rambling for a total of ten minutes about the Friday she’d spent by the side of Mal and Lyla, and a few more minutes talking about how Mal looked prettier than she remembered, about how she smiled in this different way now, and how she looked at her in this certain way and only stopping when she notices the smirk on Audrey doubling in size by the second.

“What?” She asks with a frown, and Audrey shakes her head amusedly.

“Nothing, just wondering when you’re gonna do something about the mind-numbing crush you have on Mal.” Audrey says with a shrug, and Evie pauses.

“My… my what?”

“Oh, come on, Evie. Are you serious?” Audrey asks, and her smirk diminishes and her frown becomes prominent by the second as she takes in the genuine confusion on her best friend’s face, “Holy shit, Evie, you honestly don’t know?”

“Know what?” And then, “Audrey, what the hell are you talking about?”

Audrey gives her this incredulous laugh, shaking her head in amusement and, well, incredulity, “Oh my God, Evie.”

“ _ What?” _

“Evie, are you honestly not aware of your feelings for Mal?” Audrey asks slowly, and Evie’s frown deepens even more.

“My… my feelings? For Mal?” Then it’s her time to give an incredulous chuckle, shaking her head as if she thought Audrey was silly, “Please. She’s just… one of my best friends. Nothing more.”

“Okay. I’m not even gonna say anything to that, just –“ Audrey pauses, holding out her hand to stop Evie from speaking when her friend opens her mouth, “Just think about this, okay?”

Evie doesn’t say anything in response to that, and they turn to the television in silence as Evie finds herself actually thinking about it.

* * *

And then she doesn’t stop thinking about it.

Every waking thought – every second of everyday for the next week is spent thinking about it.  _ Obsessing _ over it.

_ Could she really be…? _

Evie finds that she can’t really tell, and it’s kind of driving her crazy, a little bit. Audrey gives her knowing looks almost the entire time, and it makes Evie hyper aware of how her face must look like when she’s thinking of Mal – is she, by any chance, giving out any sort of sign? Is there anything that’s glaringly obvious about her expressions that anyone who knows both women, who has the ways to put 2 and 2 together, can, you know, put 2 and 2 together?

And Evie finds herself being mindful of how she acts around Mal – there’s nervousness in her whole body when she makes the familiar route to Mal’s apartment, only for it to wash away the second the door opens and Mal smiles at her and Lyla squeals and to start feeling like… like  _ home _ .

She finds that she can’t stop thinking about Mal, or looking at Mal, or touching Mal – the hugs last longer, their hands touch more, their smiles hold more meaning – and she wonders when exactly she had stopped thinking of Mal as one of her best friends and Lyla as her best friend’s daughter and started thinking of them as her family.

And when exactly the thought of leaving their apartment, of saying goodbyes until the next time they saw each other, of not kissing Mal goodnight and of not putting Lyla to sleep every night felt like her heart was being torn apart in tiny little pieces.

* * *

Chad calls her at the end of that week through Skype – the only way they find they can actually talk to each other through the phone and still have money to like, eat -, and it doesn’t take long for him to notice that she has something on her mind, even from oceans away.

“Um, something happened,” Evie says nervously when he questions her, and she hears the sounds of cars driving by Chad’s place on his end of the call.

“What’s up? Are you okay? Is Audrey?” He asks, his voice a little urgent. He doesn’t wait for Evie’s answer as he continues, “Do I need to fly there? ‘Cause I will.”

That gets Evie to smile, “And do what?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll do something.” Is his answer, and Evie’s grin widens when she hears the smile on her friend’s face. In moments like these, she realizes how much she misses Chad.

He’s not exactly the easiest person – Evie’s very much aware of that, and she thinks her and Audrey know better than anyone how Chad  _ can  _ be. But they know how to deal with him and how to bring the best of him better than anyone else, having grown up with him and been by his side through all of his phases, and they see him as the brother they’ve never had, and they know he thinks of them as his own sisters – and they find that even though they’re not always on the same time zone and almost always with an ocean in between them, their friendship has remained the same. Audrey and Evie taking care of him from their end, and Chad taking care of them from his.

“So, what’s up?” His concerned voice brings her out of her thoughts.

“It’s… um, it’s Mal.”

There’s a moment of silence in which Evie thinks their call has disconnected, and then Chad speaks up, “What about her?”

Chad knew all about Mal, and Ben and their daughter. Audrey and Evie had spent the better part of their visit telling him about them, and by the end of the two weeks Chad felt like he knew everyone personally. And he, unbeknownst to Evie, had noticed the way Evie’s eyes adopted a particular look when she was telling him about Mal and had asked Audrey about it, only to get a chuckle and a shake of her head in response, with Audrey telling him he had realized before Evie or Mal did themselves.

“I think – no, I  _ know _ –“ And then Evie stops, her heart beating fast against her chest as the words stop just on the tip of her tongue, ready to be released for the very first time. As if they had been waiting this whole time to finally get out. She takes a deep breath.

“Evie?” Chad calls her name, to show her that he was listening. That he was there.

Another deep breath, and then she finally says it.

“I’m in love with her.”

There’s a moment of silence as Chad smiles on the other end as he listens to his best friend letting out a relieved breath on her end, and then he asks, “How did that feel?”

Evie finds that she’s smiling when she answers that it felt like freedom.

//

“How do you feel about your daddy and Audrey, bug?” Mal asks during breakfast one day, watching as her daughter picks a strawberry slice from the top of her pancakes with her fingers and takes it to her mouth.

Lyla takes a moment to answer, being mindful of not talking with food in her mouth – something that Mal and Ben had started to work on with her a few days ago, “What do you mean, mommy?”

Mal smiles, “Do you mind that your daddy is dating Audrey?”

Lyla frowns, as if confused by the question, “What’s dating?”

“Um, you know how your daddy told you that Audrey is his girlfriend?” A nod, and then Mal continues, “Well, that means that they’re dating.”

“Oh,” And then, “I like Audrey. She’s funny and she sings really good and and – and daddy smiles a lot when we go out with her.”

Mal grins softly at that and, not for the first time since Lyla had started growing up, is completely taken by the way Lyla seemed to notice the smallest things just like her father did.

“Yeah, bug? So you’re okay with your dad having a girlfriend?”

“Yes, mommy.” She smiles, “Audrey is family, remember?”

“And Evie?”

A big grin and a nod, “And Evie.”

* * *

“How did you tell Audrey that you liked her?” Mal asks Ben during lunch one day as they sit across from each other on one of the tables outside of one of the nicest restaurants near the gallery. Ben eyes her for a moment as he chews his food.

“Um, I don’t think it was this big thing,” He says after a moment, “I mean, we were kinda obvious about it since the beginning.”

Mal nods, “But how did you like, know?”

“What do you mean?” He frowns.

She sighs, “I just… how did you know that she wanted to date you? That she was interested in dating you in spite of you having a daughter.”

His frown deepens, “Mal, where is this coming from?”

Mal takes a moment to respond, her eyes on her food as she says, “I just… do you think someone would ever want to date me? You know… because of…” Ben gets it.

“Mal, of course they would! You’re amazing, and I may be biased, but  _ Lyla’s _ amazing. Anyone who doesn’t see or appreciate that combo is an idiot.” Ben says it so earnestly that Mal can’t help but believe him. “What brought this on?”

Mal thinks he already knows, that he’s known since the beginning, much like everyone else, but it’s also  _ Ben _ , and not telling Ben wouldn’t feel right. So she, for the second time that month, takes a deep breath and says, “I… I think I wanna date Evie.”

The smile Ben gives her isn’t teasing or knowing or anything like she thought it would be – it’s soft and sincere, and just so  _ Ben _ that it makes Mal want to cry a little.

“You think or you know?” His voice is just as soft as his smile when he asks her this.

“I know. But I don’t want to lose her.” Is the answer she gives him.

“You won’t lose her.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t,” He says with a shrug, “But I think life is better when you don’t know if things will work out in the end, and instead choose to believe they will. Otherwise what’s the fun in it?”

“And that works?”

The grin Ben gives her makes her smile back even before he says, “Well, it got me here, didn’t it? And I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out.”

They smile at each other for a long moment, Mal feeling better about her situation than she had been before, and it’s all thanks to the guy in front of her.

Risking getting teased or sounding out of character, she tells him, “I love you a lot,” because it feels important that he knows.

“I love you a lot, too, Mal.” Is his answer, the grin never leaving his face.

* * *

Later that day, Evie’s over at her apartment, and Mal finds that she can’t quite hold it in anymore. She finds that she wants to take a page out of Ben’s book and be honest and open and take the leap for once – just dive in headfirst and believe that she’ll be okay in the end.

Their night goes just like always – they spend time with Lyla, they have dinner, and then Evie tucks Lyla in once bedtime arrives. And unlike always, when Evie walks out of the little girl’s bedroom and steps into the living room, instead of finding Mal on the couch, already watching whatever reality show is on that night, she finds Mal pacing back and forth in front of the television, her thumb and pointer finger playing with her bottom lip in a way Evie thinks makes her face look really cute.

“Mal?” She questions softly, and the blonde looks up at her at the sound of her name, stopping her pacing almost immediately. “What’s up?”

“I haven’t really thought about you after graduation,” Mal says eventually, still standing at the same place, as if her feet were glued to that spot, “Like, it’s weird. It’s  _ so  _ weird, but I didn’t… I didn’t really think about you until I saw you again. And then you became like, all I can ever think about.” Mal chuckles a little, and Evie’s heart beats fast against her chest, “This is – this is a long time coming, isn’t it?”

“Mal –“ She takes a step closer.

“No, I just – I have to just _say it_.” Mal shakes her head, interrupting Evie, “I… I wasn’t expecting you, like, at all. You just came into my life and changed everything, and like, that happens a lot to me, if you haven’t noticed. With Ben, and Lyla and –“ She shakes her head, as if to clear her thoughts, “You just brought so many great things into my life, and into Lyla’s, and into Ben’s, even. And Lyla loves you so much. And I just… I just never saw it coming,” Another breathless laugh, “I never expected to love you as much as I do, and to hope so fucking desperately that you love me back the way I love you that it kind of hurts.”

By the time she’s finished, her voice is barely a whisper, and Evie’s standing so close to her they can see the little details in each other’s faces.

“I do,” Evie says, finally, simply.

“Yeah?” Mal asks, her voice so small that it breaks Evie’s heart.

She nods, and then her hands are on either side of Mal’s face, and Mal’s heart stops only to restart in an alarming pace as her green eyes find Evie’s brown ones looking at her like she’s the most important thing in the world, “I love all of you. You, your daughter, your friends, your family. I love your art, your voice, your hair, the way you talk,” A pause, and then, “I love everything about you. I love learning new things about you.” Evie chuckles, “I can go on. Stop me before I do.”

Mal chuckles and complies, her hands coming to rest on both side of Evie’s neck as Evie’s hands rest on her lower back, pulling her closer, and Mal stops Evie’s love-induced word vomit with her lips.

//

When they finally part ways, Mal discovers that she’s on the couch and Evie’s half on top of her, and Mal can barely contain her gasp at the sight of Evie’s face so close to hers, her soft lips swollen, her cheeks flushed, her brown eyes that were usually a light brown now darker than Mal’s ever seen them look, her hair mussed up from Mal’s fingers running through it.

Mal thinks she’s never looked so beautiful.

//

The next day finds them grinning madly at each other whenever they meet each other’s eyes, and then pecks turning into kisses just because they can. Slight touches of fingers become hand holding, and hand holding turns into cuddling and holding and watching and just existing in each other’s presence, in this new thing that’s so natural but  _ so  _ exciting at the same time.

They make an unspoken agreement of keeping it a secret from Lyla for the time being, to keep it to themselves for a while – but Lyla’s made no such agreement, and she walks into her mother leaning forward and meeting Evie’s lips in a kiss a little later that morning.

“Um,” Is what Lyla says, her eyes wide, and Evie actually laughs loudly at that, even though she feels a little nervous – but that reaction had been so perfectly  _ Mal  _ that she just couldn’t help herself.

She’s still giggling when Mal leans down so she’s at eye-level with her daughter and says, “Bug, remember that thing we talked about? About your daddy and Audrey?”

It takes Lyla a moment, but then she nods, “Yeah, mommy, I remember.”

Mal can hear that Evie’s stopped giggling, then, and is now watching them in silent curiosity, “And are you okay with this?”

Another nod, and then Lyla’s eyes turn even more like her father’s as she looks deep into her mother’s eyes, trying to convey with a look what she means when she says, “Evie too, mommy. Remember?”

It takes Mal a moment to realize what her daughter means, but when she does, she feels her heart growing three sizes as she says, “Yes, bug. I remember.”

* * *

Evie doesn’t go home that Thursday, her reasoning being “ _ what’s the point of going home tonight if I’m just gonna come back tomorrow morning?” _ and Mal can’t deny that that’s some flawless logic right there.

So, once Lyla’s in bed, Mal and Evie decide to skip their reality television ritual and instead move towards Mal’s bedroom, feeling all sorts of nervous and excited.

Mal doesn’t think anything like  _ that  _ will happen tonight, but it’s another thing about  _ this  _ that’s new and exciting and –

And Evie’s sitting on her bed, looking at her expectantly and Mal realizes she’d been spoken to.

“Sorry, what was it?”

Evie chuckles lowly in the dark, and Mal feels a shiver run down her spine, “I asked if you could lend me something to sleep on.”

Mal nods and walks towards her drawers, picking out with ease the usual pieces of clothing that she lent Evie whenever she slept over, and when she hands them to Evie she asks, a little nervous, “Do you want me to go while you, um, change?”

“If you want,” Evie shrugs one shoulder as she stands, and Mal watches with wide eyes and a dry mouth as she doesn’t waste a moment before she pulls her shirt over her head, exposing her stomach and bra to Mal, and this scene is so familiar that Mal has to think for a moment before she remembers why that is.

They’ve been in this situation before.

Mal chuckles under her breath at the memory, then, and with a sigh and an eye roll she turns around.

“What’s the problem, Mal?” Comes Evie’s teasing voice from behind her, and Mal feels very hot all of sudden when she senses Evie’s approaching figure behind her, and she shivers when Evie’s voice speaks again, this time close to her ear, just above a whisper, “Are you shy?”

When she hears Evie chuckling amusedly at her reaction, seemingly aware of the effect she has on people – on  _ Mal, _ she rolls her eyes again and shakes her head, still flushing, “You’re an asshole.”

“And you’re adorable.” Is the response, and there’s silence for a moment save from the shuffling as Evie changes, and then she says, “Okay, I’m decent now.”

Mal turns around, and she’s relieved – and only slightly disappointed - to find that Evie wasn’t lying.

“You just missed a great preview,” Evie says, folding her clothes with a teasing smirk, and Mal gulps.

“I think I’ll wait, thanks.”

The implications of that answer makes Evie’s smirk grow two sizes and Mal’s mouth to dry up all over again. “I mean – “

“I know what you mean,” Evie winks.

“I hate you.”

“Mm, funny, I could swear I’ve heard otherwise.”

Mal can’t stop the silly grin from forming on her face at that.

* * *

“Are we girlfriends?”

“Um, yeah?” Mal says, but it sounds more like a question than anything. She tries again, “I mean, I’d like us to be. If you want us to be.”

“I do.” Evie nods.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Once they’re in bed, both in their pajamas and ready to sleep after the emotional day they’ve both had, they find that it doesn’t feel weird sharing a bed for the first time. They’re on their sides, looking at each other with sleepy, stupid grins on their faces.

Mal has Evie’s hand in hers and she’s playing with her fingers softly when Evie asks softly, “Are you scared?”

“Terrified.” Mal responds, but then she continues, “But I’m choosing to believe.”

Evie doesn’t ask her to elaborate, and she thinks she might understand what Mal means.

So her way of answering is leaning forward on the bed and pulling Mal into a kiss, because she wants to, because she can. When they part ways, she bumps her nose with Mal’s softly for a moment before she says, “I love you, just FYI. And you look like an angel like, all the time.”

Mal chuckles and yawns, shuffling a little so she’s closer to Evie on the bed before she says, “I love you too. And please keep it in your pants.”

The last thing she hears before she falls into a peaceful sleep in Evie’s arms is the sound of her soft laughter.

//

The room is cast in the soft glow of the early morning sun when Evie’s awoken by the bed bouncing a little as Lyla climbs and crawls on top of her mother as she whispers, “It’s mornin’, mommy. Mommy.”

Evie tries to fight the sleepy grin but fails, and decides to stay in her position with her back towards the two of them as Mal stirs with the added weight on top of her, humming as she does.

“It’s mornin’, mommy,” Lyla whispers again, bouncing a little on top of her.

“Hey, careful, bug. You’re heavy,” Mal says softly, and Evie hears an indignant sound coming from the toddler.

“No, I’m not! I’m little, mommy,” And then, “Breakfast now? It’s mornin’.”

“Hold on, bug. Let me wake up first.”

There’s silence, and then, “Breakfast now?”

“Wait, bug. Why don’t you lay here with mommy for a second, huh?” Mal says, and Evie knows she just wants to stay in bed for a minute longer. There’s a little sigh, followed by the bed moving again as Lyla settles more comfortably on the bed.

There’s silence for a moment, and then Lyla speaks up softly, “Is Evie sleeping?”

“Yeah, bug. So be quiet and don’t disturb her.” Comes the answer, and there’s a soft gasp followed by, “Careful, Lyla!”

“Sorry, sorry. But Jake was fallin’ and he’s still asleep like Evie.”

“Why’s Jake here?”

“ _ Because _ , mommy.” Lyla answers, and there’s a soft sound that Evie thinks might be Mal chuckling at her daughter, and she almost turns around then because she just  _ knows  _ that Lyla must have the cutest expression on her face as she looks at her mother like she’s silly for even asking such a thing.

“Okay then.” Mal says finally.

“Can we  _ please  _ have breakfast now? I’m hungry.”

“But what about Jake?”

“What  _ about _ Jake?” Lyla asks, sounding impatient, and Evie hears the sound of Mal’s chuckles at that.

“Isn’t he sleeping? Shouldn’t you stay with him while he sleeps?”

“He’s awake now, mommy.”

“Oh, really? Do you think it was your talking that woke him up?” Mal asks conspiratorially, and Evie chooses that moment to turn around and open her eyes, barely keeping her amused smile to herself. Mal looks at her with a smile before she looks back at the frowning toddler on top of her, “And now Evie’s awake too.”

“Not  _ my  _ fault!” Lyla says indignantly before she turns to Evie with a frown, “Right, Evie?”

Evie gives her an amused smile and nods, “Right.”

“ _ See _ , mommy. Now  _ please _ can we get breakfast please?”

Mal sighs and nods, “Okay, you win. Get up, trouble.”

“I’m not trouble, mommy. I’m a good girl, right, Evie?” Lyla asks from over her mother’s shoulder as she sits on her mother’s lap, both blondes sitting up together before they stand.

“Yeah, mi sol. The best.”

Lyla beams at that and Evie smiles in return. She sits up on the bed, stretching and yawning as she does so, and laughs when Lyla sighs in annoyance at her mother for making her drop her toy while they try to stand up together.

“Now Jake’s hurt, mommy.” Lyla says as she makes her mother put her down, and Mal and Evie watch with amused smiles as the smaller blonde picks him up and lays a kiss on his head before shaking her head at her mother and walking out of the room. Both women watch as Lyla pauses just one step past the doorway and turns to her mother, “ _ Breakfast _ , mommy!”

“In a second.” Mal says, and Lyla sends her a look that looks so much like the ones Mal gives  _ her  _ when she’s being difficult that the older blonde is fighting her laughter when she says, “I promise, I’ll be right there with you in a second. Why don’t you go check if Jake’s okay while you wait?”

“Fine.”

Mal and Evie watch with a grin as Lyla disappears as she makes her way to the living room, and Mal’s chuckling softly when she kneels on her bed and moves closer to Evie, pulling her smiling lips into her own for a moment before she pulls away with a grin and says, “Good morning. Ready to face this little monster I’ve created?”

Evie’s grin match her own when she answers, “Always.”

* * *

When Evie walks in her and Audrey’s apartment later that day, she finds her best friend adjusting the collar of Ben’s jacket with an amused smile in the middle of their living room. Her attention, however, is taken from her boyfriend and to her best friend the minute she notices the stupid grin on her face.

“Someone looks chipper,” A cheeky smirk appears on her face as she raises one perfectly shaped eyebrow. Ben turns to her, then, and he smiles.

“Hey, Evie.”

“Hi, Ben. Shut up, Audrey.”

“Rude,” And then, “Where were you last night, missy? And the night after that?”

There’s a moment in which Audrey and Evie exchange looks.

“I was at Mal’s.” She says, finally.

Ben perks up at that, and Audrey grins widely at her, hitting her boyfriend in the arm repeatedly and excitedly as she asks, “And?”

Evie doesn’t answer, but the smile that grows on her face against her will is enough of one as she shrugs off her jacket and hangs it beside the door.

“Wait, does that mean…?” Ben asks, his voice just as excited as his girlfriend’s, and Evie looks at him to find him looking at her with a grin just as wide as her best friend’s. She only smiles in response, not wanting to confirm or deny anything, but she thinks they might know what happened anyway. Ben and Audrey watch with silly, stupid and excited grins on their faces as Evie walks into her room for the first time in two days, and Evie chuckles softly when she hears a crash followed by Audrey’s laughter as Ben exclaims,  _ “Where the f… heck did I place my car keys? I gotta see Mal.” _

//

During that next week, Mal and Evie’s primary form of communication came from texts and phone calls. Audrey and Evie’s schedule gets tighter and a little chaotic as they start working together on their line on top of their commissions, plus the dozens of scheduled Skype meetings with the investor through the week, and by the time Thursday rolls around and with it a small window of free time, Audrey’s already out the door for a dinner with Ben at the same time that Evie pulls out her phone and dials Mal’s number.

It takes two rings, and then Mal’s voice speaks up on the other end, “Hi.”

Evie smiles, “Hi. Can I come over?”

“Duh.”

* * *

Mal greets her by pulling her into a kiss bordering on desperate, and Evie smiles into the kiss as she takes her hands to Mal’s hair and kisses back just as fiercely.  They kiss until they can’t anymore, and when they pull away Mal is looking at her with a small, bashful smile as she says, “Hi.”

“Hi.” Evie grins back, and they stand close together for another moment before a little voice calls out Evie’s name from the living room, and both women look up to see Lyla standing from the living room floor and running towards her, her crown patterned pajama pants riled up in one leg and making Mal pause, wondering when and why her daughter had done that between the moment she stood from the couch to answer the door to this one.

“Hi, mi sol!” Evie greets happily, leaning down and picking Lyla up, and Mal smiles softly as she watches Lyla instantly launch into a story about the new friend she made at preschool today.

The older blonde thinks it should scare her the way watching Lyla in Evie’s arms and telling her about her day makes her feel like home, but she finds that she can’t really feel anything but love and affection and  _ right. _

Lyla’s off Evie’s lap and running towards her room to find a drawing she’d done for Evie earlier that week when Mal turns to Evie, then, with a soft smile and says, “I love you.”

Evie smiles at her and leans down to press a soft kiss to her cheek before she says, “I love you too.”

* * *

Evie and Mal are cuddled up together on the couch, Mal’s head resting on Evie’s shoulder as they watch Lyla try to figure out how to get her 50 pieces puzzle together, refusing to accept any help from the adult women as she was now grown and could do it on her own, when Mal’s phone rings on her pocket and she pulls it out, reading Uma’s name on the caller ID before she accepts the call.

Evie listens to Mal’s side of the phone call as she watches Lyla frowning down at her puzzle and runs her fingers through Mal’s platinum blonde hair softly, and it’s a moment before Mal addresses her daughter, handing the phone to her as she says, “Bug, aunt Uma wants to talk to you.”

Lyla drops the puzzle piece in her hands and stands, walking towards Mal with a still put out frown on her face caused by the puzzle that quickly turns into a grin when she takes Mal’s phone in her tiny hands and holds it to her ear, “Hello?”

There’s a giggle as Uma says something to her, and then Mal looks up at Evie from her position against her girlfriend’s body and says, “Uma and Harry want to take her for the weekend so they can take her on a beach trip.”

Evie’s grinning when a plan starts to formulate in her head, and then she asks, “M?”

“Yeah?” Mal asks, looking back at Evie. She pauses when she sees the look on Evie’s face, “What?”

“How do you feel about a date with me this weekend?”

Mal pauses, and then grins, “I feel great about it.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Evie winks, and they chuckle at each other before Evie leans down and pecks Mal’s lips once, twice, and –

“I have to go, mommy and Evie kissing again.” There’s a pause as Mal and Evie look at the toddler with wide eyes, and then Lyla listens to whatever it is that Uma’s saying to her on the other end, completely unaware of their reaction. And then she nods as she says, “Okay. Mommy, aunt Uma wants to talk with you now.”

Mal accepts her phone back dumbly and holds it to hear ear, and Evie watches as Lyla sits back down and sighs as she sees that her puzzle hadn’t solved itself while she was on the phone. It makes Evie smile a little, but it turns into a concerned frown when she turns her attention to Mal’s one side of the conversation with her best friend.

Evie knew that Mal hadn’t exactly shared the news with Uma or anyone else but Ben yet, and she knew that she had been nervous about it for the better part of the week, for whatever reason. So to have Lyla rip the band-aid like that without any preparation must’ve been one hell of a shock for Mal.

Mal has her eyes trained on her daughter as she listens to whatever Uma’s saying, giving one word answers from time to time, and soon enough she’s hanging up the phone with a sigh and turning to Evie, “She said she’ll be having the best friend talk with you soon.”

“Should I be scared?”

“I don’t know, probably,” and then, “But she says she’s happy for us.”

They stare at each other for a moment before laughter starts bubbling out of them at the absurdity of the situation, and soon enough they have tears in their eyes as they try to control their laughter, only for it to worsen when Lyla tells them to be quiet because she’s trying to focus.

//

When Uma knocks on her door to pick up her daughter for the weekend on a Friday afternoon, she steps into Mal’s apartment with a teasing smirk and a glint in her eyes that makes Mal want to push her out and lock the door. But she doesn’t, and instead she calls for Lyla to let her know that Uma was there, only to get an  _ “I’m comin’!” _ called out from the girl’s bedroom.

“So,” Uma says as they wait, and Mal avoids her eyes, “When were you gonna tell me you got a girlfriend?”

“Um, soon.” Mal responds nervously, not wanting Uma to think that she was planning on hiding it from her friend for longer but also not wanting to have this conversation now.

“Uh huh. Okay.” And then they’re in silence, Uma seemingly understanding Mal’s silent plea to have this conversation some other time.

Mal calls for her daughter again, and Lyla repeats that she’ll be out in a second, that she was busy saying her goodbyes to her toys and books, and Uma and Mal smile at each other at that. Mal’s about to walk into the kitchen, then, to start preparing some coffee for her and Uma, knowing her daughter would take a while to finally walk out, when Uma surprises her by pulling her into a tight hug and squeezing her until Mal’s groaning loudly at her that she can’t breathe.

When they pull away, Uma’s grinning widely at her and Mal’s frowning confusedly.

“What was that for?”

“I’m just happy for you,” Uma starts to say, and when Mal makes a disgusted face at her best friend’s unusual sappiness, she laughs, “Shut up. Let me have this moment. It’ll be out of my system in a minute.”

Mal sighs but nods, “Fine. Go on.”

“You’re my best friend, and I love you and Lyla and I’m very very very happy that you’re happy and that you and Evie are finally together.” Uma says quickly, her grin still on her face, and Mal feels herself smiling back at her friend.

She rolls her eyes when she feels the urge to pull her friend into a bear hug, but does it anyway, and they’re chuckling when Mal says, her voice muffled by her face being squished against her best friend’s shoulder, “I love you too, you sappy bitch.”

Uma pokes her on her ribs, then, and Mal tries to pull away from her hug but Uma doesn’t let her. “Uma, let me go.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Uma.”

“Mal.”

“ _ Uma _ .”

“ _ Mal. _ ”

“Lyla!” They hear, and before they can pull away to look at the toddler that had finally left her room, they feel tiny arms wrap themselves around their legs as Lyla joins their hug excitedly.

//

Mal spends her Friday night at the gallery, trying her hardest to look like an actual functioning human being as she tries not to completely lose her mind at the thought of having her very first date with Evie tomorrow – and her very first date since meeting Ben and having her daughter,  _ period _ .

Her mind is absolutely exhausted from all the overthinking she’s put it through when she gets home a few minutes past midnight, and the moment she lays her head on her pillow is the moment her eyes close and she’s instantly found asleep.

* * *

It’s eight in the morning when she wakes up to her phone buzzing on her bedside table, and a quick look through half-closed eyes shows her that Ben’s the one calling her.

“Mm?” Is her greeting.

“Oh, shoot. Did I just wake you?” Ben’s voice is apologetic.

Mal doesn’t open her eyes when she says, “It’s 8AM on a toddler-free Saturday morning, what do you think?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Mal waits. Ben doesn’t say anything, and Mal sighs, “Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you call me for?”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry. Um,” And then Mal can hear Ben’s sheepish smile in his voice as he says, “This is gonna sound weird, but I woke up today feeling like I had to give you a call and like, offer you reassurance or something. I don’t know. But it’s been a while since that’s happened, so...”

Mal opens her eyes then, and she’s instantly hit by the memory of the countless times during their college days and the months during her pregnancy after that that Ben would call her because he just felt like she needed him to, and not for the first time since then she wonders how Ben could possibly know that she needed him to offer her reassurance before she even knew it herself.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. So, um, are you okay?”

Mal pauses, “I’m a little nervous, actually.”

“About?”

“About my date with Evie tonight.” And then, “Did you feel nervous?”

“Yeah, Mal. First date jitters are a thing, you know.” He says, and Mal can hear his easy smile as he continues, “But I was a little nervous about going on a date after… you know, us and Lyla and all that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I was nervous the whole day, but then the moment I saw Audrey I realized that I was putting too much pressure on myself and on that date and I should just… have fun. With someone else.” He says, and then, “What’s worrying you?”

“It’s just… What if everything changes?”

“Mal, things have already changed. And they’ll keep changing every day,” Ben says calmly on the other end, “But it doesn’t mean that they’ll be bad changes. You know as well as I do that changes can be good, sometimes. If you let them be.”

Mal’s silent for a moment before she says, “I feel like I should be paying you for being my therapist.”

Ben laughs, “Nah, that would ruin it. I like knowing that I can still help you with these things, you know? I hope  _ that  _ never changes.”

Mal’s voice is soft when she speaks again.

“Yeah,” She says, “Me too.”

//

“I’m really fucking nervous.” Is the first thing Mal says to Evie when she opens the door to greet her, much later that day. Evie looks absolutely beautiful, her hair falling in waves over her shoulder, and her eyes shining in a way that makes Mal’s stomach twist and turn in a really pleasant way.

Evie smiles at her then, and reaches out so she can take Mal’s hand in hers and pull her towards her so she can give her a soft kiss on her lips.

“Can I tell you something?” Evie asks softly, and Mal nods. Evie gives her a grin, “I am too. In fact, the last time I’ve been this nervous about meeting you was that first time at the coffee shop.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Mal bites her lip, “So this should be fun.”

“It will be,” Evie nods, resolutely, and Mal finds that she believes her. Then, Evie gives her a teasing grin, “You’ve like, totally lost all that teen angst from high school, so.”

Mal recalls then their conversation from that first day and rolls her eyes, allowing her grin to widen on her face as she grabs her jacket and purse and turns the light off, “You’re ridiculous.”

“You love it.”

“I love you.”

“Damn, and we haven’t even been on a first date. Am I really that good?”

Mal chuckles under her breath and grabs Evie’s hand in hers as they walk hand in hand towards the elevator, finding that, once again, Ben was right, and there was no reason for her to be nervous.

* * *

Their date night ends with Mal and Evie lying side by side on Mal’s bed, panting and looking up at the ceiling as both women clutch Mal’s cotton sheet up to cover their bare bodies.

“I was right.” Evie says after a moment, and her voice sounds so extra-velvety (was that even a word? Mal doesn’t know, but that’s how Evie sounded like) that it sends shivers down Mal’s spine as she turns to Evie curiously.

“About what?”

Evie’s smirking at her when she says, “This  _ was _ fun.”

Mal flushes, “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” And then, “We should do it again.”

And like, who’s Mal to deny Evie anything, really?

//

“Mommy, what’s four look like?” Lyla asks one day as she’s brushing the non-existent hair in her Princess Bubblegum plushie, and Mal looks up at her from her sketchbook with a small frown at the random question.

“What do you mean, bug?”

“Like, three looks like this,” And then Lyla raises three fingers from her right hand, and then she continues, “What’s four look like?”

Mal puts down her pencil and raises four fingers to her daughter, and Lyla looks at her mother’s hand for a moment before nodding. “Why do you ask?”

“’Cos soon I will be four, so I wanted to practice for when people ask me how big I am,” Lyla tells her calmly, simply, as if it was most natural thing in the world. And she guesses it  _ was  _ natural, because that’s how life was – time passed, you got older. That’s how it’s always been.

But somehow Mal had thought this wouldn’t be the case with her daughter – at least she hoped it wouldn’t be the case, not so soon.

And it was something that she had to constantly remind herself. That her baby was growing, and that she’d continue to grow as the days went on and there was nothing Mal could do about it. She remembers once Ben and her were more… comfortable, so to speak, with their situation, that Ben would always come up with new ways for them to see how big their baby was inside Mal’s womb. Either the size of a grape, then an orange, and then soon they were walking inside a baby store and holding little newborn shoes for what felt like hours, just trying to reconcile that soon an actual living human being that belonged to them would be in their midst and wearing one of those shoes that the size was almost comical it was so small.

Mal never wants anything bad to ever happen to Lyla – even though she knows that’s an unreasonable wish, that’s exactly how she feels. She never wants to lose sight of her daughter, never wants there to be a time in which Lyla won’t climb on top of her unreasonably early while she’s asleep and tuck her little head under her chin. She’s not ready for any of that, and yet she knows she somehow has to be.

Lyla, who seemingly shared that specific trait with her father, senses that her mother was in distress about something her little mind couldn’t quite understand yet, and she sets her doll down on the couch and shuffles closer to her mother so she’s leaning the front of her body on Mal’s legs, her little hands on each knee as she sets her head down on the gap from one knee to the other and looks at her mother from the top of her sketchbook silently, a curious look on her face.

“What’s up, bug?” Mal asks her.

“What are you doing, mommy?” Lyla asks, voice curious, and Mal looks down at the sketch she was doing of Lyla holding her doll and smiles.

“I’m drawing you, bug. See?” She turns the book around so Lyla can see it, and she smiles when Lyla gasps and squeals and giggles.

Lyla looks at the drawing with curious eyes for a moment, and then she asks, “Mommy, can we draw together? And and – and paint?”

Mal grins softly at her, “You wanna paint, bug?”

Lyla nods happily, a grin that looked so much like her mother’s appearing on her face as she ran her little fingers over the drawing her mom had just made of her, “Yes, mommy. When I grow big like you, I wanna paint.”

Mal doesn’t care that she’s crying in front of her daughter when she says, “Yeah?”

Lyla looks a little concerned by the fact that her mother has tears in her eyes, but since she’s still smiling she decides that it must be one of those ‘happy crying’ moments her parents tell her so much about. She nods, “Yeah, mommy. Now, can we?”

“Yeah, bug. We can. I’ll just go grab everything, okay? And you wait here?”

Lyla nods, happy that her mother agreed to her idea, and then she watches as her mother stands up from the couch. As Mal walks out of the room and towards her bedroom to grab her art supplies, she decides that maybe her daughter growing up wasn’t so bad when there was still so many things about her to discover – what her passions would be, which personality traits she would develop, what music she’d listen to -, and somehow that makes Mal feel excited. Excited to learn more. To see more.

Of maybe one day getting a bigger place, of having an actual art room where she – and maybe Lyla, if she wanted to – could work on, and Mal barely notices when she includes a comfortable corner for Evie in the room for her to work on her designs when she imagines the room in her head.

* * *

When Evie gets there later that day, she finds Lyla and Mal together in front of an easel, Lyla kneeling on a kitchen stool while Mal held her in place by the waist as she watched the girl paint.

“If I didn’t already think you’re a Mini version of Mal…” Evie says as a greeting while she hangs her purse on the coat rack beside the door and then shrugs off her jacket as she smiles at the two blondes.

The proud grin Lyla and Mal give her in response to that warms her heart in a way Evie can’t really explain.

//

For the next few months, they settle more and more into this little new, but still familiar, life. Evie and Audrey’s brand is getting bigger by the second, and soon they have a place separated from their home in form of an actual store, just a few blocks away from Mal’s gallery to call their own. Christmas comes and goes with a big dinner at Ben’s place with the entire family, and Lyla gets so many presents it takes two cars to get them back to Mal’s place – and then it takes Mal a lot of convincing Lyla to get rid of some of her old toys that she doesn’t really play with all that much to make room for the new ones.

For Lyla’s fourth birthday, they take her to an amusement park – her obsession of the month, thanks to her Uncles Carlos and Jay – and Lyla gets more books than toys, since she’s been slowly but surely learning how to read. Lyla’s favorite book is the book her dad gets her,  _ The Going to Bed Book,  _ which Mal finds actually ends up being the greatest thing in the world, because all of the things Lyla used to throw a tantrum during her Terrible Threes over were now things she looked forward to now because of the book – and the fact that her daughter could quote each and every page as the activities before bedtime happened only added to Mal’s love for the bedtime book. 

Life is easy, now, and it’s good, and everyone seems happy. And the best part of it all is that it never seems to end. Even on the hard days, they go to sleep with a smile on their faces.

//

“Mommy, can you sing?” Lyla asks from the backseat one day while Evie and Mal take her to the Zoo – for the third time that month – and Mal looks at her from the rearview and then at Evie before she nods.

The smile Evie gives her when she hears her voice for the very first time is enough to ease her nerves, and soon Evie and Mal are giving Lyla their very first duet of a catchy song that Lyla had decided was her favorite song of the week, and Mal wonders why she’d been nervous about singing in front of Evie at all.

//

Evie’s thinking about how returning to Mal and Lyla’s place feels like returning home when she’s walking through the door, their take-out dinner in her hands as she does, and finds Lyla kneeling in front of her mother’s sleeping form on the couch, her tiny fingers running over her mother’s forearm tattoo silently.

Evie sets the bags down and walks towards the living room quietly, settling down quietly beside Lyla. “What’s up, mi sol?”

Lyla doesn’t look at her when she answers, “Mommy’s drawing.”

Evie looks at the tattoo on her girlfriend’s arm and then at Lyla, “What about it?”

“She made it for me.”

“I know, baby.” And then, “It’s just as pretty as you.”

Lyla gives her a grin before she says, “Mommy said when I grow I can have a drawing too.”

That makes Evie smile. Only Mal would have already promised her four year old a tattoo. From the corner of her eyes she can see Mal struggling not to smile, probably having woken up with the sound of their conversation, “Yeah? And what are you gonna get?”

Lyla thinks for a second before she grins widely and says, “All of the Adventure Time characters!”

Evie had been expecting that answer, but it still makes her chuckle and shake her head as she pulls Lyla into her arms and kisses her cheek in affection, “Please, don’t grow up?”

Lyla looks up at her with a frown, “But I  _ have _ to, Evie. So I can get my drawing, ‘member?”

Evie’s smiling at a now smiling Mal when she answers, “You’re right, angel. You’re right.” And then she looks back at Lyla, “But don’t grow up too much, okay?”

Lyla thinks for a moment before she nods, “Okay.”

//

Lyla’s walking around Evie and Audrey’s store curiously as she runs her little hands through the fabric of the clothes hanging on the racks, murmuring to herself as she does so, and Audrey and Evie watch her with endeared eyes as she sweetly introduces herself to a few of the customers that she finds along the way.

Evie had picked the girl up earlier from preschool and the plan was for Evie to take her to Mal’s but the little girl had asked for them to go to their store instead because she missed Audrey.

It takes Lyla a few minutes to finish her circuit around the store before she’s running back to Evie and Audrey, a smile on her face as she stops just in time for Audrey to lean down and pick her up.

“Will you make me Finn clothes for Ha’ween please?” She asks the two women, and they look at each other before looking back at an expectant Lyla with small smiles on their faces.

“Of course, angel.” Audrey says.

“So you finally decided which character you want to be this year?” Evie asks her curiously, and Lyla nods. She’d been Princess Bubblegum last year, and the younger blonde hadn’t wanted to repeat outfits – something she was starting to learn from her time spent with Audrey and Evie that Ben and Mal thought to be comical – this year. She’d gone back and forth on characters from her favorite show for almost a month, and it seemed that she’d gotten to a decision in the last few minutes.

“So a Finn outfit it is.” Evie nods, and Lyla smiles widely at her.

//

Lyla meets Chad a few months later, and the guy greets her with a huge smile and one of the only dolls from her Adventure Time collection that was missing – the Ice King. Lyla doesn’t really like the character, even though he can be funny at times, but she likes having all of her characters together, and she likes Chad for giving him to her.

Chad and her get along just fine, and Mal and Ben are more than just a little amused when not even two hours later after meeting the man, Lyla’s already asking him for piggy back rides – and even more amused when it quickly turns into a race, with Lyla on Chad’s back and Evie on Audrey’s.

(Chad and Lyla win, obviously.)

//

“Hey, Evie, can you taste this real quick?” A pause, and then, “Dude, stop  _ biting _ me.”

Laughter, and then, “You asked me to.”

“I meant the food, you pervert.”

“Well –“

“Don’t even think about finishing that.”

Evie smiles at her girlfriend as she accepts the spoon that’s been held up to her mouth. “It’s amazing, as usual.”

“Thanks.”

“But I still prefer the other thing.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, and what does that say about me?”

//

A month goes by and Chad is still around, having rented a place near Audrey and Evie’s home so he can be close to his best friends for the time he’s here and catch up on lost time.

It’s on one of Evie’s free days and one of the days that Lyla’s with her after preschool that the two of them take the younger blonde with them while they do grocery shopping for Chad’s place, with Evie walking around the aisles with the shopping cart while Chad carries Lyla on his back in a piggy back ride, offering ‘yes’ or ‘no’s to the things Evie puts in his cart in the middle of the playful words and stories he’s telling Lyla while they walk.

It’s when they’re in the middle of one of the aisles that Evie catches Chad adjusting his grip of Lyla that she asks, “Aren’t you getting tired? You can put her in the kiddie seat, you know.”

Chad shakes his head, “I work out for a reason.”

“To carry children around supermarkets?” Evie asks amusedly, and Chad grins at her.

“Not just children,  _ Lyla.  _ Right, buddy?” Chad asks turning his head so he can look at Lyla. The blonde giggles and nods.

“Yeah!”

“Your little family is adorable,” Says an unfamiliar voice amusedly, and Evie and Chad turn their heads to find an older woman looking at them with a soft smile. Evie snorts and Chad chuckles under his breath.

“Oh, we’re not a couple,” Evie says while Chad laughs.

“Yeah, Evie is a couple with my mommy.” Lyla butts in helpfully, and Evie gives her a grin before she turns to the older woman, who sports an apologetic look on her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry –“

“It’s okay.”

“Well, your daughter is adorable either way.” The older woman says, and Evie flushes while Chad tries even harder to keep his hold of Lyla while he laughs.

“Oh, she’s – um, nevermind. Thank you.” Evie says finally, still flushing and her heart beating faster against her chest, and Lyla’s looking at her with an expression she can’t quite compute while Chad laughs and the older woman smiles at her before she walks away.

“Shut up.” She says when she meets Chad’s knowing look.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“I know. But shut up.”

The only response she gets is Chad’s laughter following her while they resume their walk.

* * *

 

Mal visits her mother with Lyla by her side during a long weekend, and it takes all but five minutes for Lyla to tell her grandmother about Mal and Evie’s relationship.

Maleficent doesn’t look surprised or hurt that it’s taken Mal that long to tell her about it, only watches her daughter with amused eyes for the remaining of the evening before Lyla finally calls it a day and completely passes out on her grandmother’s bed.

“So, kiddo, can we finally talk about it?” Maleficent asks while she sits down next to her daughter on her couch, and Mal looks at her mom for a moment.

“I feel like I don’t have a choice.”

“You don’t.” Maleficent agrees immediately, “And you don’t have to say anything, but can I say what I want to say?”

“Why is this making me afraid?”

“Because you’re dramatic,” Her mother says, “Frankly, I don’t know where you got that from.”

“Right.” Mal says, and she laughs when Maleficent gives her a wink. She takes a deep breath and says, “Okay. I’m ready. You can proceed.”

“Thank you,” Maleficent clears her throat and sits straighter on the couch, and Mal gives her an amused smile that she quickly mirrors before she continues, “Kiddo, I am so proud of you. I know we haven’t had the best of times when you were younger, and that’s partly my fault, but I used to worry so much about you when you were younger. About how you were doing, how you were feeling… And ever since you moved to college I started worrying less. Of course I still do, because I’m a mother, but just…  _ less _ .” Maleficent pauses, as if thoughtful, and Mal watches in silence as she continues, “I could see you were happier, more lively… and of course then came in my other kiddo, and you grew up so much. You are so mature, now. I was so scared, so worried for you when you told me about your pregnancy, but even then something inside of me told me that you’d be alright. And I was right.”

Mal’s already sniffling when Maleficent continues, “But I was afraid that you would forget that you can still be  _ Mal _ , and not just Lyla’s mother, you know? And for a while, I thought you did. But then Evie came in.”

Mal smiles, and Maleficent’s smile turns softer as she takes in her emotional daughter in front of her, “She makes you look like you did every time you Skyped me from college and you’d tell me about Uma, and Ben, and Harry and everything else.”

“Dude, you’re gonna make me cry.” Mal says, already crying. Maleficent chuckles.

“Oh, but that was my goal,” and then, “And stop calling your mother dude.”

“I will when you stop calling me kiddo.”

“But you are my kiddo, kiddo.”

“And you’re my dude, dude.”

They look at each other for a moment before Maleficent finally snorts and the two blondes launch into a fit of giggles, Mal’s laughter more inspired by her mother’s snorts than anything else.

//

Later that night, when Maleficent goes to sleep and Mal’s in her mother’s living room by herself, Mal allows herself to think about her mother’s words.

It’s true, what she’d said. Mal had kind of forgotten she had to be Mal, on top of everything else. But it was hard to remember that when she had a young child to look after, even with all of the help she got. It was easy to forget that she was her own person, as well. And she guesses her mother was right when she said that it seemed Evie brought her her old self back – even if a more mature, improved better of herself. She felt lighter, comfortable, happier ever since Evie came into her life, and she’d like to think that Lyla did, as well.

Evie brought new things into Lyla’s life – and Mal knew that her daughter loved the older woman dearly. Granted, Lyla loved just about anyone and anything, but with Evie it was different. Lyla trusted Evie, and loved Evie, and Mal wasn’t just saying it when she’d told Evie all those months ago that she’d never seen Lyla get so attached to someone so quickly. It was something special, what they had.

And a part of old Mal that had been brought back, the part that had left when Ben and her had Lyla and Mal was sure that she was safe with Ben, but had returned when Evie came into her life feared what would be of her and Lyla if Evie ever left.

And it’s not like that was ever even something that she should be worried about – Evie had never even implied she was thinking or even wanting to leave her. But the fear, the worry, was still there, and Mal can’t really help herself when she pulls out her phone and calls Evie.

She answers on the third ring, “Hello?”

“Hi,” Mal says, and then when she hears the noise on the background she asks, “Can you talk?”

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. I’m just hanging out with Chad and Audrey.” Evie says, and then, “What’s up?”

“I just had this heart to heart with my mom, well, actually, she was the one having the heart to heart and I was just listening and trying not to cry –“

“As expected,” Evie butts in and Mal rolls her eyes but smiles nevertheless.

“Shut up. Anyway, she was saying all these things and that got me thinking…”

“That’s never a good sign.” Evie teases, and Mal fights her chuckle.

“You’re right, but shut up. She got me thinking, and I started kind of spiraling so I just called you.”

There’s silence for a moment and then Evie speaks, “You called me before you got all broody and weird because of your overthinking? That’s progress.”

“I think you’re spending a lot of time with Uma lately.” Mal says, and she can hear the chuckling on the other side.

“Sorry, sorry. So, what’s the problem, babe?”

Mal blushes a little at the nickname – Evie had started using them early on and Mal never got used to those, especially not when they were coming from Evie’s voice – and says, “I just… um, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh, sure. Shoot.”

Mal hesitates, and with one final deep breath she says, “Do you promise me you won’t leave Lyla?” Another breath, “I mean… If something happens between us, and knock on wood it doesn’t, but if it does… do you promise you’ll still be part of Lyla’s life?”

“Mal?”

“I just, well, I don’t really have a father. I mean, I do, but he walked out on us when I was just a baby and I… I don’t know, I’m a little obsessed with Lyla having her whole family together. It’s a problem, I know, because I don’t know how life is going to be and what’s going to happen, but I’d just like to keep that one thing intact,” Mal says all in one breath, “And Lyla thinks of you as part of her family. And I just… I don’t want her to lose you, to lose part of her family. Because I know that would hurt her.”

“Mal, can I say something?”

“Yeah. That’d be nice.” Mal says, trying to regain her breath, and she smiles softly when she hears Evie’s soft chuckles on the other end before her voice turns serious.

“Mal, I don’t plan on leaving Lyla like, at all. Or you. I don’t even think about leaving, period. I love you, I love her, I love your family, I love my life around you. I told you this back then, and I still mean it. I want to be a part of all of it, M. For as long as you let me, that is.”

“I want you to be around forever, is that cool with you?” Mal says in a small voice, and she can hear Evie’s low squealing on the other end, “Stop that. I’m regretting saying that now.”

“Sorry, sorry – you’re just so cute. But yeah, M, that’s more than cool with me.” Evie says, her voice light and heavy with love and affection and it just makes Mal smile.

“Thanks, E. Like, for everything. You make me really happy.”

“You make me really happy too.”

“Kinda wish you were here now.”

“Yeah, me too. This conversation would’ve definitely been better in person, when I could kiss you a billion times for being the cutest person in the world.” Evie says, her voice bordering on a tone that Mal was  _ not  _ ready to deal with at the moment.

Then, a thought strikes her.

“Evie, are you like… around people right now? Like, Chad and Audrey?”

“Yeah, I’m in the kitchen by myself, though. Why?”

Mal breathes with relief, “Nothing, nothing. I just didn’t want them to know I let you talk to me like that.”

“Like what?” Evie sounds amused.

“’Cutest person in the world’? Come on, Evie, I got a rep to maintain here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I won’t say that again.”

A pause, “Just like… In public, right? You can still say it when we’re like… alone.”

Mal can hear Evie’s smile on her voice when she says, “Yeah, Mal, that’s what I meant.”

“Oh, okay. Good. Just checking.”

Mal grins when she hears Evie’s soft chuckle on the other end.

* * *

Mal finds that life having Evie as her girlfriend is kind of like a daydream of sorts. They slow dance in the kitchen – with Mal grumbling about how Evie’s turned her into a mushy mess only for Evie to say that she was already one when they met, thanks to Lyla -, they sing along to songs in the car – with or without Lyla in the backseat -, they talk about their day, they spend most of their free time together, and Evie finds that she’s spent less and less time at her apartment with Audrey lately, finding that Mal’s bed is a little more comfortable than her own.

_ (“I don’t know what to tell you, Audrey. It must be her sheets.” Evie says with a silly grin and a shrug when she tells Audrey the reason why she hasn’t been at home in days is Mal’s bed. _

_ Audrey gives her a smirk, “Mhm. Her sheets. Sure.”) _

And when she isn’t at theirs, Lyla makes it a point to protest her bedtime if Evie isn’t there to tuck her in. Not that she does it every time anyway, but Mal guesses her daughter just likes the option. Mal starts adding more things that Evie likes to her grocery shopping list, and that includes Evie’s weird, gluten free, organic products that she normally would’ve just skipped by without a second look. And then Evie mornings, the alternative name for Friday mornings, becomes almost every morning. And almost every morning finds the three of them sitting together by the kitchen counter, talking and enjoying each other’s company before they have to start their day.

* * *

Mal meets Evie’s mother a few weeks into August. The woman had finally found some downtime to come visit Auradon and her daughter’s new store, and Evie insisted Mal met her.

Audrey and Chad – who was still around, with no immediate plans to leave – try to ease Mal’s nerves on meeting Quinn Grimhilde, and Mal wasn’t really sure if they helped her at all or made her more nervous to impress the woman who apparently was very protective of her daughter, not really being impressed by Evie’s prior girlfriends (which Mal kind of liked a little bit. But she’d deny it if anyone asked. Even though Audrey and Chad totally noticed Mal’s little smirk when she heard that.)

Evie’s mom would be arriving at Mal’s apartment at any moment, and the blonde was well into accessing her deepest fears and worries about today’s dinner guest when Evie takes her hands in hers like she’s done many times before and looks deep into her eyes, “Mal. Stop freaking out. My mom’s gonna love you.”

“How do you know that? Didn’t she hate like all of your other girlfriends?” Mal asks with a frown, feeling the beginnings of an anxiety attack form on her chest.

“Mal, look at me,” Evie says, her hand going to her girlfriend’s chin and making their eyes meet, “She’s gonna love you. Hell, she probably already does. I’ve talked her ear off about you and Lyla and she was actually the one who requested this dinner to finally meet you guys.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, baby. I promise you, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Promise?” Mal asks (and absolutely  _ does not _ pout).

Evie mirrors her pout as she nods, “I promise.”

And then the doorbell rings just as Evie pulls away from Mal, and they barely have time to get themselves together before Lyla is rushing to the door, standing on her sock covered tippy toes so she can reach the door handle and open the door. Once the door opens, Lyla greets a woman that looks exactly like an older version of Evie happily.

Evie and Mal watch as Quinn Grimhilde crouches down at eye level in her very expensive looking pants to greet Lyla just as happily, and Mal looks at Evie to find her watching the scene in surprise. “What?”

“I’ve literally never seen my mother do that before. Lyla must be special.” She winks at Mal, and the older blonde feels a little bit of the nervousness leaving her body as she watches Quinn meet Lyla in a hug. The nervousness leaves her body completely when she watches Evie’s mother fishing out a coloring book with Lyla’s favorite cartoon characters from her favorite show on the cover from her incredibly large designer bag with a smile.

“Did you tip her off?” Mal asks Evie in a hushed whisper, smiling and shaking her head when Evie only winks in response.

And then Mal can’t even think anything else because she’s being swept in a hug by the older woman and insisted she calls her “Quinn, Mrs. Grimhilde makes me feel old.”

//

“You know, this is the first time I see Evie like this,” Quinn says later that night while she sits on one of the stools by the kitchen counter as she watches Mal walk around her kitchen, putting away the newly-washed dishes they’d used for dinner. Evie was in the bathroom with Lyla, having been recruited by the younger blonde to help her with bath time tonight since Mal helped last night.

“Like what?” Mal asks curiously, opening one of the top cabinets.

“This happy. Of course, she’s always been a happy girl, that one, always with that sparkly attitude to match her smile,” Quinn says, a smile so reminiscent of her daughter’s on her face, “But lately, or, well, ever since she’s moved here… It’s different. She’s… settled. At home.” Quinn says, thoughtful. “Audrey too, you know. I’ve been talking to Aurora about these two lately. We were worried sick when they told us this wild plan of theirs of moving to a whole different city and start anew. But I don’t know why we were worried. Everything seems to be going incredibly well.”

Mal smiles, “Yeah, their line is pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, it is,” Quinn agrees, “But I was talking about their personal lives. I’ve always known they’d be successful in their careers; there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. We – and by ‘we’ I mean Audrey’s parents and I -, were just worried that they’d forget to live in order to work. But it seems like everything’s working out just fine. Audrey’s found Ben, who I’m yet to meet, and well, my Evie’s found you and Lyla. You two are really good for her.” Quinn gives Mal a smile that’s warm and fond at the same time, and the blonde doesn’t really know what is it that she’s feeling but it’s kind of wonderful.

“Well, I mean, Evie’s really good for us, um, probably more than we are to her –“

“Oh, Mal. You two are adorable together. I’m glad you’ve found each other.” Quinn says, and then her smile turns a little more serious as she continues, “You see, I hope you don’t think I’m overstepping here, but… It’s just, well, little Lyla is an adorable girl. The sweetest kid, really. And Evie seems really fond of both of you and I’m hoping you two are serious, so… Oh, what the hell, it’s not like I’m known for beating around the bush,” Quinn rolls her eyes at herself and Mal watches as she beams at her as she says, “I would be honored to have Lyla as a grandkid someday. I’m not pushing you guys or rushing you into anything, really. I just want you to know that. I know you were nervous about today, and trust me, I was too. But… you know, I’d like to think there isn’t any reason for either of us to be nervous anymore. You shouldn’t be nervous around family.”

Mal’s beaming when she responds, her tone filled with emotional gratitude and warmth, “Yeah, you shouldn’t.”

//

Mal’s picking up Lyla’s toys from the living room later that night while Evie puts her daughter to sleep, only an hour past her usual bedtime as Mal had granted her an extra hour to stay up while Evie’s mom was still there, and the platinum blonde smiles when she hears the soft sound of her daughter’s door being closed and Evie stepping into the living room with a happy sigh.

She watches from the corner of her eyes for a moment as the brunette smiles softly to herself before she speaks up, “She loves you so much.”

Evie raises an eyebrow, “You speaking in third person now?”

Mal rolls her eyes, “I meant Lyla.”

“I love her too,” Evie says with a bright smile that reaches her eyes, and then her smile turns teasing, “You mean you don’t love me too?”

Mal watches as Evie steps closer and closer until Evie’s hands are on her hips and she’s being pulled towards the taller woman slowly as she looks at her with a teasing smirk, waiting for her response, clearly amused by her effect on Mal. The blonde licks her lips, “I love you too.”

Evie smiles and leans down, pressing a light peck on top of Mal’s head and chuckling breathily at the pout that appears on her girlfriend’s lips at that. She leans down again and pecks every inch of Mal’s face with the exception of her lips.

“You’re mean,” Mal says.

“Mmhm.”

“Evie –“

“You know,” A peck, “I love Lyla with all of my heart, but I do like it when she’s asleep.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. Wanna know why?” Evie asks, her voice dangerously low and close to Mal’s ear.

“I think I know why.”

A peck, and then Mal’s being lifted off the ground with a squeal that’s quickly silenced by Evie’s lips on hers.

“I love you.” Mal says, her eyes locked by Evie’s brown ones and her hands on both sides of her face.

“I love you too.” Evie answers, and then they’re too busy to say anything else.

//

“So, I’ll be getting a granddaughter sooner than I expected, I reckon.” Her mother says while they’re strolling side by side on the park across from Audrey and Evie’s store, her tone light and only barely teasing. Evie flushes.

“I think you’re getting too far ahead of yourself, there.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just happy and excited for you. Honestly, I love them already. And Little Lyla – oh, Evie, she’s adorable. And you’ve been so happy – I’m just happy for you. And I want you to know that I’m more than ready to welcome them into our family someday.”

“Thank you, mom.” Evie smiles, touched.

“Oh, God, my baby daughter has a daughter –“

“Mom.”

“Sorry, sorry. But I just know you. I know that you love Lyla like a daughter, and that if you and Mal are serious about each other like I think you are, then that is going to happen.”

“Is it weird that I really want that to happen? Like, we only recently got together.”

“I don’t think it is. Does Mal know you want that?” Quinn asks as she enlaces her right arm with Evie’s left as they walk together.

Evie makes a thoughtful face, “I don’t know. Probably?”

“Well, you should tell her. If you feel that way, then you should let her know. It’s always nice to be open and upfront about your feelings and intentions in a relationship, you know.”

“I know. I will.”

“That’s my girl.”

* * *

Evie finds that she doesn’t really need to tell Mal anything. At least not with words. She finds that they’ve created this comfortable routine – and she’s only half surprised when he realizes this routine had started way before they even got together. She shows Mal what she wants when she picks Lyla up from preschool when Mal needs someone to do it for her, by spending time with Lyla when Mal’s busy at work, by helping Lyla get dressed, and to brush her teeth, and to bathe, and to go to bed. By taking Lyla (alongside Audrey and sometimes Chad) to her favorite places. By being a reliable presence in the little girl’s – and Mal’s – life.

Evie takes Lyla to Museums, to parks, to everywhere and anywhere she thinks the girl would like. Sometimes Audrey tags along, sometimes Mal does, and sometimes it’s just the two of them. They explore the city together, and they look at dogs, and they have ice cream and laugh and talk and sing – and Evie’s social media is more than filled with pictures of Lyla. With Lyla.

And it’s not weird – this life. It feels comfortable, like it’s the way it’s always supposed to be. Evie doesn’t think it’s weird that her and Mal have slipped into this serious relationship almost instantly, doesn’t think it’s weird that she now kisses her best friend, or holds her hand and goes on dates with her, or that they share the same bed, sometimes clothed, sometimes not. She doesn’t think it’s weird that she’s now planning her life beside Mal – not her life, not her future, but  _ theirs _ .

//

“Hey, Audrey, can I ask you something?” Evie asks over a cup of tea one late night as they’re both sitting together on the couch. Audrey nods, her eyes glued to the television.

“How do you feel about Lyla?”

Audrey looks at her with a confused frown, “What do you mean?”

“Like, do you see yourself calling her your daughter in the future?” Evie asks, shuffling a little on the couch so she can look at her friend better. Audrey’s frown vanishes from her face as her confusion clears up and she finds herself smiling before she can really help it, and Evie has enough of an answer there.

“Yeah,” She says finally, “I really do. I mean, it’s up for her if she’d ever want to, but I definitely would. Why?”

“Have you like… talked about that stuff with Ben?”

Audrey nods, “Not in length, though. Just… you know, we talk about the future. And Lyla’s in that future.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

Audrey chuckles, then, and Evie’s attention snaps back to her with a curious look.

“It’s just so perfectly fucking fitting that we’d share a step-daughter.”

Evie laughs along with her.

//

Mal comes home one Tuesday evening to find Evie and Lyla on the couch together as they watch television, Lyla sitting on top of Evie’s legs, her back to the older woman’s front and their arms resting together on top of the smaller girl’s stomach, and both girls chuckling together at whatever was on at the moment. Mal stops in her tracks and watches the scene before her in silence with a soft smile on her face until Lyla notices her there.

“Mommy!” She exclaims happily but doesn’t show any signs of moving from her spot. Evie looks up at her and smiles.

“Hi, babe. Come sit.” Evie says in that special  _ Evie Tone _ that makes Mal drop anything and everything and just do whatever the brunette asked, and Lyla and Evie shuffle a little so they can make room for Mal to sit with them.

Lyla scoots over so she’s lying across both women’s laps, her head on her mother’s lap as she grins up at the older blonde and says, “Mommy, I got a new jacket today.”

“You did?” Mal asks, surprised. Lyla had grown out of her favorite jacket earlier that month and Mal had been planning to take her to get a new one soon and she couldn’t remember if she had mentioned it to Ben earlier that week.

“Yes I did mommy.” A pause and a grin, and then, “Evie and I did!”

Mal looks at Evie and smiles internally when she sees the brunette blushing a little at that. “You did?”

“Yeah, I hope that’s okay. We were in the mall and she saw this jacket she really liked and I remembered you mentioned before that she needed a new one, so…” Evie trails off, biting her lips nervously. “Is that okay?”

“Of course! Yeah!” Mal says quickly, giving her girlfriend a reassuring smile. “How much do I owe you?”

Evie rolls her eyes, “You don’t owe me anything.” And then, “Maybe just one kiss, though.”

“No kissing!” Lyla says quickly, grabbing her mother’s face before she could lean closer to Evie. “Do you wanna see my jacket, mommy?”

“Yes, bug.”

Lyla nods and rolls off Evie and Mal’s laps and onto the rug on the living room floor, falling with a soft thud and a giggle when her mother asks her if she’s okay. Mal and Evie watch amusedly as she stands up quickly, adjusting her clothes before she skips towards her bedroom to find her new jacket.

“A kiss before she comes back?” Mal asks, and Evie chuckles and nods, leaning over until their lips meet in a soft kiss.

“I love you.” Mal says once they break apart.

“I love you, too.” Evie responds just as softly.

“ _ No kissing!” _  Lyla says when she’s walking back into the living room, and Mal and Evie part ways to smile down at the blonde toddler who’s standing before them with a baby pink bomber jacket that makes her look like the cutest little gumdrop Mal’s ever seen.

“Wow, bug, that’s a really nice jacket.” Mal says, and then, “Do you need help to zip that up?”

“No, no, I can do it.” Lyla says, grabbing both sides of the zippers in her tiny hands and looking down in deep concentration at them as she tried to figure out how they worked. Lyla’s been insisting on doing things on her own lately – washing her own hair when she’s bathing, brushing her own teeth, putting on her own shoes. Some things she gets the hang of quite quickly (the hair, the brushing of teeth), but others, not so much (she doesn’t know how to tell which foot is right and which is left yet), but Mal’s glad to let her at least try them once before asking for help.

She smiles proudly when Lyla manages to work the zipper on her first try.

//

Evie’s up earlier than she’d like to that Wednesday morning, having spent the night at Mal’s – again – and having to be up before her usual time so she could make it home in time to change into a new outfit for the day and then go to work. She makes Mal’s bed while the blonde showers and then sets to wake Lyla up.

When she walks into the little girl’s room, she finds Lyla talking quietly to her favorite dolls that are lying around her on her bed, ever the early riser, and she smiles when she says, “Rise and shine, mi sol.”

“Evie!” Lyla exclaims happily, scrambling out of her bed and running towards Evie with an excited grin on her face, always energetic even this early in the morning. Evie smiles when Lyla wraps her arms around her legs and looks up at her with a grin, “You’re here.”

“I am, baby. Now, how about breakfast?”

“Yes! But wait, first I gotta change clothes,” She tugs at her pajama shirts with a frown, “And shoes and and – wait, brush my teeth first.”

Evie chuckles, “How about clothes first, and then we brush your teeth?”

“Kay kay.” Lyla nods, always happy to compromise, “Can I have my pink shirt today, Evie? And my pink pants. And my pink jacket!”

“Someone’s been spending a lot of time with Audrey, I see.” Evie chuckles under her breath, and Lyla grins. She searches through the girl’s closet for the outfit she requested and pulls them out one by one as she finds them. She hands them to the toddler and watches with a smile as Lyla carefully sets them down on her bed before she studies them for a moment and then turns to Evie, “Can I get pink socks?”

Evie chuckles again and nods, opening one of her drawers and rummaging through them for a second until she finds a pair of pink socks with little details on them. “These?”

“Yes, please, thank you.”

Evie shakes her head in amusement as she hands them to the toddler and watches silently as Lyla removes her pajamas and begins the arduous task of getting dressed on her own. First it’s the pants – she kicks at them until her legs are where they’re supposed to be, only barely maintaining her balance the whole time. And then it’s the shirt. One arm goes through one hole, then the other, and then she’s wriggling it over her head, messing up her blonde curls even more in the process. She looks down at her scrunched up shirt with a frown and then up at Evie, silently asking for help.

The brunette steps in, then, and helps the blonde tidy up her shirt and her pants. “Need help with the socks?”

Lyla shakes her head no and sits down on her bed, quickly making work of her socks and kicking her legs back and forth with a happy grin as Evie picks up her sneakers from the corner of her room and walks towards her to help her put them on.

“My little Lyla, you’re almost growing out of these shoes.” Evie comments as she ties the laces of her sneakers, and Lyla nods once, unperturbed by that statement. She’s been growing out of a lot of things lately – it was her new routine, apparently. Evie looks at her for a moment and feels something prickling at her eyes as she realizes Lyla’s been growing more and more in front of her own eyes and how she’s been looking less and less like the rounded, soft baby faced angel she’d met long ago.

She stands back up and picks Lyla up in her arms – making the most of the time she still could do that – and squeezes her twice. “I love you, my little sunshine.”

“Love you too, Evie.” Lyla says contently, “Can you grab my Princess Bubblegum toy please? And my jacket!”

Evie nods and does as asked, smiling softly when Lyla hugs her toy and her jacket to her chest as Evie walks them out of her bedroom.

“Do we have any food that’s pink?” Lyla asks curiously on their way to the kitchen, making Evie chuckle and kiss the top of her head adoringly.

//

“I’m really glad I met Lyla when she was really little and couldn’t pronounce her R’s.” Evie says over breakfast, both women watching as Lyla focused all of her attention on not messing up her shirt with the strawberry jelly covered toast she’d asked her mother for breakfast.

Mal looks at her for a moment, looking a little confused. Finally, she says, “Me too.”

“I feel so lucky that I get to be part of her life and to watch her grow up every day.” Evie says, her eyes getting dangerously misty, and Mal looks at her in panic.

“Dude, are you about to cry? It’s only 7AM.”

“Shut up. I’m emotional. She’s so grown. I don’t know why I’m crying!”

“Oh, babe,” Mal coos and chuckles amusedly as she replaces the mug in her hands with Evie’s face as she wipes the stray tears away. “It’s okay. Honestly, that’s totally normal. I cry about that stuff all the time. I literally sobbed for an entire hour when she grew out of her first baby shoes.”

Evie chuckles and Mal continues, “This stuff is weirdly emotional, seriously. Ben cries about her drawings, you’ve seen it happen. I do too. That’s just how parenting is, I guess. You cry at everything your kid does.”

Evie’s soft smile match Mal’s, and Evie decides not to mention the fact that Mal implied she saw Evie as something close to a parent to Lyla.

(But she lets it warm her insides for the entire day.)

* * *

Evie comes by one Thursday evening and finds Mal sitting on one kitchen stool as she paints something on a canvas, Lyla sitting on the couch with her little legs crossed as she watched television with a focused look on her face. Her focus, however, is broken once she sees Evie walking in.

She gets off the couch and skips towards Evie, always happy to see her, and Evie smiles and picks her up and squeezes her multiple times while she giggles, like always.

Mal watches them with a smile for a moment before she says, “Hi, E.”

“Hi, love. What you working on?” Evie asks curiously, walking towards the couch with Lyla in her arms. Mal takes a moment to answer and in the meantime Evie puts Lyla down on the couch, and the little girl scrambles off the couch again and runs off towards her bedroom, muttering under her breath about something Evie can’t quite comprehend.

“Just a picture that’s been on my mind for the last week and I finally got the chance to sit down and paint it,” Mal says, her eyes trained on her painting. Evie studies her girlfriend for a moment and swoons when she notices that Mal has a bit of paint everywhere, her hands, her arms, her shirt, her face – she looks adorable.

And…  _ hot _ . Like,  _ really _ hot.

So she tells her that.

“Can you keep it in your pants?” Mal snorts, but the slight pink coloring her face at the comment is definitely complementary to the random paint colors that were there before.

“Maybe.” Evie chuckles and Mal rolls her eyes.

Lyla’s still in her bedroom and by the sounds of it she’s not planning on leaving anytime soon, so Evie takes her chances and walks towards the blonde beauty by the canvas and carefully sets to stand behind Mal, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind.

“You’re insanely attractive when you’re like this,” Evie says lowly, her lips dangerously close to Mal’s ear. Mal gasps lowly and Evie chuckles before she sets to leave butterfly kisses along Mal’s neck and jaw. “You look  _ really  _ hot like this.”

“Yeah?” Mal gives her a small grin, and Evie nods, not really stopping her ministrations.

“Kinda makes it hard to control myself.” Evie says then, taking one hand towards Mal’s jaw and turning her face to hers so she can meet her girlfriend’s full lips with her own. The kiss is slow and teasing and Evie ends it with a nip and a low chuckle when Mal gapes at her, mouth slightly open, a dazed look on her face.

Evie tends to have that effect on her, admittedly. The brunette is all too aware of her power over people – over  _ Mal _ , specifically -, of how to control her voice and her eyes and her whole being so that Mal is completely gone and at her mercy. It’s not an easy task, resisting Evie Grimhilde. Mal would argue it’s impossible.

Evie’s back at delivering butterfly kisses on Mal’s jaw and neck when the blonde finally finds her voice, “You’re distracting me.”

“Mmm.” Another kiss. A nip.

“Evie.”

“Mal.”

“You’re mean.”

“And you’re  _ hot _ .”

They’re in silence for a moment after that, Mal trying to control her breathing and Evie stops her kissing for a moment to look at the canvas that Mal’s been working on. (Or, really, just stare at Mal’s hands while she works.)

“You’re hot too, by the way.” Mal says after a moment, and Evie smirks and winks at her, making the blonde roll her eyes but smile anyway, only slightly mad at herself when she feels the blush rising to her cheeks in response to Evie’s wink. It’s always like that.

Evie notices it and chuckles amusedly, “You’re adorable.”

“I thought I was hot?”

“Mhm, you’re adorable and hot. I could just eat you up.”

“Evie –“

Evie gives her another wink and unwraps herself from Mal’s frame and makes to move out of the kitchen and towards Lyla’s room, laughing when she hears the blonde calling her a bitch under her breath.

* * *

Evie’s making Lyla a snack one Thursday afternoon, the younger blonde watching her from the kitchen counter as Evie walks around the kitchen, and it’s one of the afternoons where it’s just the two of them and Mal’s at the gallery. They’re in silence for a few minutes since their last impromptu sing-along session, and Evie jumps a little in surprise when Lyla speaks up.

“I made a new friend today at pre-school.” She tells her, her little hands brought together on top of the counter as she plays with her fingers, “He has two mommies and two daddies.”

“Yeah?” Evie asks, “What’s his name?”

“His name is Chris,” Lyla says, “But he has two mommies and two daddies, Evie!”

“What about it, mi sol?” Evie asks curiously, trying to understand where Lyla was getting at.

“He’s like me! Well, he has two mommies and I have three and I only have one daddy, but still!” Lyla says cheerfully, and Evie pauses her motions to look at her.

“You have what?” Evie feels like her eyes are growing three sizes and tries to control it, “Lyla, sweetie, don’t you mean you only have one mommy?”

“No, Evie,” Lyla looks at her like she’s silly, “Mommy said families can come in different ways. Some people have two daddies, or two mommies, or an uncle or an aunt – like my friend Jack, he says his daddy is a train!”

“Wow, a train?” Evie asks, amused. Lyla giggles and nods.

“My mommy said families are people you love the most, right?” Evie nods, “And and – I have a Mommy and I have a Daddy, and then I have an Audrey and I have an Evie.”

“But, Lyla… Audrey and I aren’t your moms, you know that, right?” Evie asks, hating herself and the sound of those words coming out of her mouth. Lyla looks up at her with a frown, as if she was concentrating hard on the subject at hand, as if she thought it was of utmost importance. Evie thinks it’s adorable and feels a thud in her heart at that.

“You and Audrey just don’t have two names yet.” Lyla says finally.

“Two names?” Evie frowns, confused by the logic behind the four year old’s reasonings.

“Yeah, like mommy is Mommy and Mal, and daddy is Daddy and Ben.” Lyla nods to herself, “Two names, see? And and – you and Audrey are girls, so you have to be mommies, right?”

“I mean, yeah. But that’s not – um, I don’t think it’s that simple, baby.”

“Why not? I love you and Audrey and Mommy and Daddy the most, and and – and Chris said that’s how his family works.”

“You do?”

Lyla nods a few times as she plays with her fingers, “And and – and then I love my grandmas, and my granddad, and Auntie Uma and Uncle Harry and Uncle Jay and Uncle Carlos and –“

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because Evie cuts her off, wrapping her arms around her and scooping her up from her kitchen stool and into her arms as she pecks her little face with millions and millions of kisses. She giggles happily at the attention and Evie smiles.

“I love you too, mi sol.  _ So much _ .”

Lyla’s grin is as bright as the actual sun, and Evie can’t wait to tell Audrey about her conversation with Lyla.

* * *

“Are you ever worried that this could like… end?” Mal asks one day, while they’re both cuddled up together on the couch as they watch a random movie Mal had left on. Evie looks at her with a frown.

“What do you mean? Like, us?”

“Yeah. Do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Why would I worry about that?” Evie shrugs, “I mean, it could happen. But why would I expect it to, when I’m happy right here where I am?”

“That makes sense.” Mal says after a moment, and then she bites her lips before she looks at Evie with this earnest, adorable look on her face and asks, “You’re happy?”

“Yeah, M. I really, really am.” Evie says, leaning over and pecking her girlfriend’s lips once, twice, before she leans her head on Mal’s shoulder. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

Mal’s silent for a moment before she says, a soft smile on her face, “Yeah. Me too.”

* * *

On a rainy Friday afternoon, Evie gets some news from Audrey that has her itching to just get in her car and drive to Mal to share them. But instead, she waits the three long hours until it’s closing time and then she’s driving towards Mal’s place, like almost every day now, and walking in the apartment to find Mal folding laundry on the couch.

“Hi, E.” Mal greets her with a grin while Evie puts her jacket and her purse on the rack beside the door, “I’ve got news.”

“Hi, so do I.” Evie says with a smile, and she walks towards the couch and sits on the arm of it as she watches Mal fold one of the many crown-printed shirts that Lyla owned (all of which were Ben’s gifts, Mal had told her).

“You first.”

“I have a feeling it’s the same news, so I’ll bite. Audrey’s moving in with Ben.” Evie says, her tone casual. Mal smiles.

“I know, Ben told me this morning. Isn’t it great?” Mal says, and Evie nods. “He’s so happy. Says he’s ready to be all domestic and get half of his apartment decorated pink.”

Evie laughs, “Yeah, that’s kind of what’s gonna happen to him.”

“How are you feeling about all this?” Mal asks.

“I’m gonna miss sharing a place with Audrey but I guess we kinda haven’t been… actively living together for a while. I mean, with me spending most of my time here and her with Ben.”

Mal chuckles and folds another shirt as they fall into easy silence. Evie bites her lips before she takes a deep breath and goes for it, “So… do you wanna maybe… like, live together?”

Mal pauses her folding and looks up at Evie in surprise, closes and opens her mouth a few times before she says, “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean… I want that. Do you?” Mal pauses, and Evie continues, “You don’t have to say yes or no just now. I know there’s a lot to think about, with Lyla and everything. But I just want you to know that I want that.”

Mal looks at her for a long moment before she smiles, “You know, my place  _ is  _ two blocks away from your store. And my room is a little bigger than yours.”

Evie smiles, “Yeah, I know.”

“And financially, I think it’d be great for both of us.”

“Mhm.”

“And, you know, it’s not like you’re not already living here. I mean, there’s a bunch of grocery in my cabinets that were bought with you in mind.”

“That’s true.”

“And Lyla would stop throwing tantrums whenever you have to leave.”

“She would, because I’d be living here.” Evie nods with a silly grin on her face that matches Mal’s.

“So, like, I think we should do it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you should move in. But like, officially, I mean.”

Evie chuckles, “You mean I can bring the rest of my stuff finally?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Mal says, putting Lyla’s sweater down and moving the clothes so she can scoot closer to Evie and pull her into her lap. “Move in with me and this little four year old girl?”

Evie smiles, leans down so she can peck Mal’s lips once, and then twice, “I’d love nothing more.”

//

“How would you feel if Evie came to live here?” Mal asks Lyla later that day while she’s helping her daughter color a monkey purple. Lyla pauses her movements and looks at her with a frown.

“But then where would we live, mommy?”

Mal laughs, “Here, silly. Evie would be living with us.”

“Oh. Like all the time? Like she wouldn’t leave ever?”

“Yeah, bug. I mean, she’d still leave for work and things like that, but she’d be here at the end of the day, with us. All the time.”

“Yeah?” Lyla grins, and Mal feels her heart growing four sizes at the sight of her daughter’s pearly whites and her shining brown eyes.

“Yeah, bug. Like a family.”

Lyla’s silent for a long moment. Mal waits for her to wrap her little four year old mind around it.

“I would feel very happy if she was here all the time, Mommy.” She says finally, grabbing a pink crayon and starting to color the sun pink. (Mal thinks she’s spending too much time around Audrey. But she kinda loves it, too.) “I think that would be the  _ best _ .”

That kind of settles it for Mal and Evie, and Evie moves in on the second week of the next month.

//

Audrey and Evie had packed their things up together, with the help of Ben and Mal and sometimes Uma and Harry. It felt a little bittersweet – but the sweet part made up for the bitterness of it. They were both excited and happy for each other and themselves, about starting this new chapter in their lives that they hadn’t ever expected to happen when they were in this same position a little more than a year ago, packing up their things in a whole different city and ready to move to Auradon and share a place together for the first time.

Audrey and Evie move out on the same day, making their friends split in two teams to help them. Carlos, Jay and Uma end up helping Evie move into Mal’s apartment, and Chad, Gil and Harry help Audrey move into Ben’s. And then, at the end of the day, they all head to Uma and Harry’s to have pizza for dinner (on Audrey and Evie, as a thank you.)

There are boxes around Mal’s apartment, and a few additions of furniture in her living room and bedroom, and there are new mugs and kitchen supplies in her cabinets and her apartment looks like a perfect mix of her and Evie and Lyla as each and every box is unpacked over the week.

By the end of the week, the last box is emptied and Evie’s officially moved in. Lyla’s trying to get inside one of the empty boxes in the living room that was big enough for her and Evie and Mal are standing together in the middle of the room, looking around the place and taking in the new additions to the decoration. The records, books, pictures and decorations added to Mal’s shelves and walls and tables show that Evie was now a part of that home. Had been for a long time, but now made it official and clear for everyone to see.

Mal wraps her arms around Evie’s waist and tucks her chin on the woman’s shoulder as she grins up at her and says, “Welcome home, E.”

Evie’s grin is bright and blinding and Mal thinks she’s falling for her all over again.

//

This new joint existence is kind of awesome. Mal loves every second of it. Living with Evie – no, not just living, but sharing a home with Evie -, is  _ extremely _ incredible. Opening her closet and finding her clothes hanging with Evie’s, seeing her shoes sitting together with Evie’s, having Evie’s countless hair products sitting by Mal and Lyla’s, having Evie refer to a kitchen supply as “ _ our _ ” when she asks where it is - all of it. It’s amazing, and it makes Mal so incredibly happy.

To see Evie getting ready for work, to see her coming home from work. To sleep and wake with Evie in her arms every night and morning – it’s incredible. Awesome. Amazing. Perfect. It’s home.

And it’s even more amazing that nothing really changes, at the same time that it does. They’re so comfortable and domestic and happy – and Mal finds that they’ve been like that for a while. Evie moving in only really solidified that.

The brunette puts Lyla to sleep more often, and sometimes when the younger blonde is fighting her sleep as hard as she can to stay up for a few more minutes, Evie’s the one running her fingers through her hair and massaging her scalp softly until her little eyes finally close and she’s put to sleep. Mal loves watching those moments, feels soothed by them – especially because that’s something her mother used to do with her when she was a kid, and it was something that she, herself, had used many times to put Lyla to sleep since she was a little baby and crying was really all she knew how to do. She doesn’t tell Evie any of that, in fact, she doesn’t say anything or even makes any mention of that – just lets them be, lets them have these small moments together that she knows mean a lot for both of them. And mean to her, as well.

//

They do grocery shopping together, and they plan family movie nights and family game nights and just family nights as they pick out their favorite snacks, and Evie and Lyla giggle together as they tell each other silly stories to make the other laugh while Mal smiles softly as she strolls the shopping cart with the giggling toddler sitting on the kiddie’s seat.

It’s on their first time grocery shopping together after moving in that it happens. Mal trails off to grab something from an aisle while Evie strolls the shopping cart with Lyla in it behind her slowly, and when she turns around, the scene before her is so familiar that she has to take a moment. Evie seems to notice Mal staring and she looks up curiously, and Mal thinks she’s realized what had made her pause.

“Oh, wow.” She says, a silly grin appearing on her face.

“I know.” Mal laughs. “This is...”

“I know.” Evie repeats, and they laugh again before their laughter turns into soft smiles as they look at each other. Mal walks over to Evie and leans up a little to meet her lips with hers before she says, “I love you.”

Evie grins widely, “I love you, too. And I’m really glad I recognized you then.”

They resume their walk, Lyla looking up at them from her kiddie seat with childish interest in her little brown eyes as she listens to them talking but doesn’t really pay attention to their actual conversation.

“How did you recognize me, by the way? I didn’t even know you knew who I was.”

“Oh, honey. A pretty face like yours is kinda hard to forget,” Evie winks, and when Mal rolls her eyes she laughs, “Roll your eyes all you want, but I did know who you were back then. I always thought you were gorgeous.”

“You’re a flatterer.”

“Maybe so. But it works for me,” Evie winks, and Mal rolls her eyes again. “I love it when you do that.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“Now who’s the flatterer?” Evie winks again. Mal huffs and Lyla giggles at them when Evie sends her girlfriend an air kiss in response.

//

Lyla comes home from preschool one day with a new drawing, and they don’t waste a single moment to clear space on the fridge and hang it up, smiling widely at the drawing as Lyla points to each detail on her drawing from her place in her mother’s arms to explain her artwork titled  _ “Lyla’s Family” _ .

“This is daddy, this is mommy, this is Evie and this is Audrey and this is my monkey that I’m gonna get for Christmas.”

Evie’s tearing up and Mal’s fighting her tears when she chuckles and kisses her daughter’s forehead, not really having the heart to tell her daughter there was no way she’d get her a monkey for Christmas. (At least not one that wasn’t stuffed).

* * *

One Friday afternoon while Evie is at work and Mal’s helping Lyla pack her bags to spend the weekend at her father’s like she’s done many times before, she notices that her daughter is quieter than usual and seems to be fidgeting with her clothes a lot, a sign that she was thinking about something. Deciding on not to pry and wait until the toddler came to her with her troubles, she finished packing her things and walked with her towards the living room to wait for Ben.

Only when the man gets there and Lyla sees him does she speak up, looking a tad unsure of herself, something in her eyes showing that she was quite concerned about whatever it was that was running through her little four year old mind.

“Mommy, daddy, can I ask something?”

Ben and Mal share a look before they nod and walk towards the couch where their daughter was, both taking places on each side of her and turning their bodies so they gave her their full attention.

“What is it, princess?” Ben asks first. Lyla looks up at him and then at Mal and then she looks down at her little hands for a moment.

“How do you give someone a new name?” She asks earnestly, her little brown eyes curious and holding genuine interest.

“What do you mean, bug?” Mal asks, a little confused by the question.

“You know, grandmas are Belle and Maleficent but they’re Grandma to me, and grandpa is Adam but he’s Grandpa to me, and and - daddy is Ben but he’s daddy to me, and you’re Mal but you’re mommy to me. And and – and Uma is Uma but she’s Auntie Uma to me and –“

“We get it, baby.” Ben chuckles, and Mal smiles.

“Well, bug, all of that happens because you’re your father and I’s baby. So you’re our daughter, even though you’re Lyla to everyone else, and that’s why your grandmas are your grandmas and your grandpa is your grandpa.” Mal explains, and Lyla nods.

“I know  _ that _ , but, but – what if I want to give someone new names? How do I do that?” She asks with a frown, and Ben and Mal look at her, puzzled.

“Who do you want to give a new name to, princess?”

“Audrey and Evie,” Lyla says, her little hands folded together on top of one of her knees as she looks at them with a thoughtful expression on her face, “I have a friend who has two mommies and two daddies, and he calls them all mommy and daddy.”

“And you wanna call Evie and Audrey that?”

Lyla nods, “Is that okay? Do you think they will like it? Do you have to ask them first?”

Mal has never seen her daughter so unsure of herself before, and it makes her want to cry and wrap her arms around her little body and squeeze her for being so god damn adorable and thoughtful. Ben looks like he’s going through the same emotions.

“I think you should talk to them about that, princess. Would you be okay with that?” Ben asks, and Lyla thinks for a moment before she nods. Ben smiles, “That’s great! You can talk to Audrey tonight, if you want.”

“Will you help me?” Lyla asks, and Ben chuckles and scoops her up and sets her on his lap as he hugs her against his chest.

“Of course, princess. And I’m sure your mommy will help you talk to Evie when you do, right, Mal?” Ben raises an eyebrow to her, and Mal nods, a smile on her face.

“Thanks mommy. Thanks daddy.” Mal scoots closer to them so she can lean down and kiss her daughter’s cheek easily in response.

“You’re the best kid in the whole world, did you know that?” Ben asks her, and Lyla smiles brightly at him.

“Yes!”  She giggles, making her parents chuckle at her, “I love you guys, and I love my family, and and – and I love Adventure Time and all the monkeys in the world and and – and mommy where is my monkey shirt? Can I have my monkey shirt today?”

Ben and Mal laugh at how quickly Lyla adverts her attention from their rather serious conversation to something so silly to them but of utmost importance to her – maybe as important as asking if she could call Audrey and Evie her mothers as well.

“I’ll go get it, bug.”

“Thanks mommy, you’re the best mommy.”

She squeals when Ben tickles her tummy and Mal laughs while she stands from the couch to retrieve Lyla’s ‘monkey shirt’ from her closet – it was actually an onesie, but Lyla never really cared to call it that, deciding it was a shirt and nothing else could change her mind, no matter how many times Mal had corrected her.

And truthfully, Mal was dreading the day that Lyla would finally call it an onesie and not shirts – it was already hard enough that Lyla had finally learned to pronounce her R’s.

Her little girl was growing up before her very eyes, and Mal really couldn’t do much to stop it.

//

Mal had barely kept herself together that weekend. Evie knew something was up but decided not to question her, knowing that in time Mal would come forward with whatever it was that was making her so fidgety and act weirder than usual – Lyla’s conversation with Audrey on Friday night had gone fantastically, and they had made a pact to not tell Evie anything until Lyla had her own conversation with the brunette. Ben had told Mal how everything had gone, and that Audrey had cried and squeezed Lyla for an entire hour before finally letting her go. Mal just couldn’t wait for Evie and her to have that conversation.

Mal thought she would’ve felt weird about having her baby daughter calling two other women her mothers, but found that she couldn’t really feel anything else but happiness and giddiness – it just proved to her that Ben and her were okay, and that they had found people that were good enough for them and to be part of their little family, and it was almost as if the toddler’s own way of giving them her blessing.  And she reasons that it could’ve been Ben dealing with having two other guys being Lyla’s fathers, as both he and Mal favored both genders. But that wasn’t important now.

What was important was that Lyla was finally home from her weekend at her father’s, and they were both waiting for Evie to get home from work that Monday evening, unable to sit still. Lyla was jumping around the living room, dressed in her monkey onesie and her little pigtails bouncing up and down as she jumped as Mal watched with amused eyes as Lyla skipped over to her and then back towards the television as she sang along to whatever song that was playing in her head.

“Lyla, bug, be careful.” Mal said for the fifth time that hour, trying her hardest not to stand up and actually start skipping around with her. She felt nervous and antsy – what if Evie felt weird about that? What if she refused Lyla’s proposal? It seemed unlikely and far-fetched, but Mal was always a worrier. Mal could barely contain her apprehension and excitement as Evie finally walked into their apartment, hanging her bag and jacket and taking her heels off like she’s done countless times before. She eyes them weirdly when she notices both sets of eyes on her as she puts her hair up in a lazy bun and walks towards them with a curious look on her face as she watches Lyla pause her movements and then restart them three times and Mal fidget with her hands for three minutes before she breaks.

“Okay, what’s up with you two?” She asks.

Mal looks from Evie to Lyla and then to Evie again, “Lyla has something she needs to discuss with you.”

Evie raises an eyebrow, “Does she?”

Mal nods, and they both look expectantly at the now nervous looking four year old. Mal chuckles, “Come on, bug, ask Evie what you wanted to ask.”

“Um…” Lyla begins nervously, her hands folded together behind her back as she takes slow steps towards Evie until she’s standing right in front of her, her lips pressed together on a thin line as she tries to find the right words to ask what she wanted to ask. Mal thinks it’s endearing the way Lyla seems to be looking for the right words, and Evie’s smiling patiently at her as she waits for her to find them.

Finally, Lyla speaks up, her voice a little shaky and nervous and unsure but still so adorably endearing that it melts both women’s hearts, “Evie… is it okay if I don’t call you Evie anymore?”

Mal chuckles a little under her breath at the way Lyla posed the question – they hadn’t really discussed or planned how it would be, but this was such a perfectly Lyla way of asking that Mal couldn’t really have come up with anything better herself if she tried.

Evie, on the other hand, was confused by that question, “What do you mean, mi sol?”

Lyla looks at her mother for reassurance and then she licks her lips as she looks back at Evie, “I want to call you something else.”

“You do? Like a nickname?” Evie asked, trying to make sense of the conversation. Mal wanted to laugh but suppressed her amusement as to not disturb the two of them.

Lyla shakes her head, “No, no. Like – like a new name. Remember?”

Something seems to click for Evie, and Mal watches with a soft smile as Evie looks at Lyla with wide, emotional eyes, and the older blonde just  _ knows  _ that Evie’s trying her hardest to hold back her tears. “Oh?”

Lyla nods, her little smile growing on her face as she brings her hands from behind her back to Evie’s knees and asks, her voice earnest and soft and so adorable – “Can I call you mommy, too?”

Evie’s silent for a moment, looking at Lyla with such adoring eyes that Mal felt silly for even questioning Evie’s feelings towards Lyla’s request. The younger blonde is expecting an answer, though, so she tries to speed the process up, even though she knew that Evie would say yes – she was just trying to gather her thoughts and put her emotions in check -, “Can she, E?”

That snaps Evie out of her trance, and Evie doesn’t waste another moment as she picks the toddler up and onto her lap, squeezing her tightly and muttering something in her ear that makes Lyla grin and giggle and squeal happily in response. Evie gives the top of Lyla’s head a long kiss, and Mal thinks she might be crying when Evie looks up at her, tears in her own eyes, and asks, her voice filled with emotion, “How is she real?”

Mal shrugs, “Beats me.”

Lyla giggles at them and squeals when Mal scoots over to join their cuddling session.

//

Lyla is asleep and Mal’s grinning madly as she listens to Evie squeal and cry and squeal a little more with Audrey on the phone for an entire hour as they talk to each other about their respective conversations with Lyla.

Mal runs her fingers through Evie’s hair all the while, and not for the first time since meeting Evie, she feels extraordinarily happy.

* * *

Life with Evie is amazing, if she hadn’t mentioned that before. It just is. Their little family has grown since meeting her, and everything is awesome now. And not just because now Mal has a partner in crime for her everyday struggles in parenting a four year old toddler, but because Evie makes her feel young – something she hasn’t really felt since she’s had said four year old.

Evie makes her happy, makes her giddy and silly and kind of mushy – Evie makes her do things like tell her mother she loves her after every phone call. Makes her sing along to theme songs of shows that Lyla loves, makes her doodle hearts on her sketchbooks when she’s bored at the gallery. Evie makes her feel like she’s falling in love for the first time all over again, and it’s kind of annoying, in this completely awesome way. Because she gets to come home to Evie every day, and she gets to kiss, hold, hug, have adult interactions with (if you know what that means), and raise a kid with her. And that’s like, fucking amazing. Really amazing.

And watching Evie with Lyla is even better. Watching Evie help Lyla with her homework, help her make out words and shapes and everything else – it makes Mal’s heart sing and kickstart against her chest and all of those cheesy things. It makes her so unbelievably happy. Evie makes her so happy, and it shows. Everyone that looks at her can see it, and it doesn’t take Uma long to mention it.

“You’re like, disgustingly happy. It’s throwing me off a little.”

Mal laughs, “Mission accomplished.”

“Seriously, you’re like. Glowing. It’s fucking weird. Are you pregnant again?”

“Jesus, you’re so annoying. No. That’s kind of impossible now, with the things I’ve been doing.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess.” A moment of silence, and then, “But seriously, I’m happy for you.”

“You could’ve just led with that instead of being all weird about my sex life.”

“I wasn’t – okay, yeah, you’ve got a point there.” Uma nods after a moment.

“But I am. Happy, I mean. So much. Kinda wanna cry about it.”

“That’s nice. You’re cute when you’re in love.” Uma grins, and Mal chuckles, doesn’t feel the need to deny that. Uma’s grin widens. “You’re so gone, dude.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re  _ soooo  _ in love with her, it’s thrown you off our bantering rhythm. That’s the first time you haven’t told me to fuck off after I teased you since we were like, three.”

“I feel like your math is off, but I’m not gonna deny that.”

“You’re so moon-eyed and you keep grinning at the nothing, it’s like… I don’t know, I love it. I love this new Mal. She seems like a nice girl.”

“Shut up, oh my God.”

“Not until you say it.”

“Say what?”

“That you’ve become a mushy, soft, grinning idiot because you’re in love with Evie and you’re all domestic and gross now that you’re living together.” Uma says it all in one breath, her grin still present on her face as she held her straw between her pointer finger and her thumb.

Mal rolls her eyes, “You’re so weird. In fact, I think all of you are weird.”

“What, why?”

“Because you’re not in love with Evie as well. Have you guys like,  _ seen  _ her? She’s perfect. Literally. Lyla agrees with me. She wants to call her mom.”

Uma gapes, “Wait,  _ what _ ? She does?”

Mal nods, a grin overtaking her face, “Yeah, she does. She’s asked her and everything. Well, her and Audrey, really.”

“Holy shit, Mal! That’s huge!”

“I know.”

“That’s amazing.”

“I know.”

“Dude, you’re so gonna marry her someday.”

Mal laughs, grins, smiles widely, “I know.”

//

She does know, honestly. Marriage has always been a tricky thing with Mal – she’s always vowed that if she ever got married, she’d have to be really sure that they’d spend their life together forever. She hadn’t really had a father growing up – her father had left her and her mother when she was barely one, and Maleficent didn’t really talk about him. Mal’s never really missed her father, for her mother was enough of a parent for her to never question or wish for the man’s presence in her life.

And it’s not like she doesn’t believe in marriage – she does, actually. But she just doesn’t want to rush into something and then have it fizzle out and turn into something that only brings the two people that were once in love down – which is something that makes her eternally grateful that she and Ben hadn’t really gone down that road when they found out about the pregnancy. She didn’t think she would’ve survived that on top of everything.

And honestly, she doesn’t see her life with anyone else but Evie. She doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to think about a day that she will open her eyes in the morning and not see Evie’s stunningly beautiful face so close to hers. Can’t see it happening. So it’s only natural that she finds her mind wandering, fantasizing about the day she’d call Evie her wife. She knows it won’t be now, or in the near future – but maybe she’s wrong. You never really know with them two. All she knows is that one day that day will come, and when it does, she’ll be ready.

* * *

“Did you know you were gonna be my mommy when you met me?” Lyla asks curiously as Evie helps her dry her little body after a bath. Mal’s in the process of drying Lyla’s hair as she listens silently to their conversation.

Evie looks up at Mal for a second before she looks at Lyla, “No, mi sol. I didn’t.”

“Cool.” Lyla nods, hisses when her mom twists her hair a little too hard, “Ouch, mommy!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“’S okay.” A pause, “Do you like being my mommy now?”

Mal smiles softly at that and Evie grins, “I love it, mi sol. A lot.”

Lyla grins back at her.

//

It’s nearly seven in the morning the next day when they’re awoken by not only their alarms, but by Lyla’s little insistent voice calling out, “Mommy?” from her room. Mal sighs and Evie chuckles under her breath as she pecks the palms of Mal’s hand one, two, three times in silent support for getting out of their warm bed in the chilly air of that Friday morning.

“ _ Mommy _ ?!” Lyla calls out more insistently.

Mal sighs again, “I’m coming!”

There’s a moment, and then, “Not  _ you _ , mommy!”

Evie gasps and Mal gapes. “Does she mean –“

“Yeah, I think she does.” Mal grins back at her, and Evie moves out of their bed in a haze, trying her hardest not to trip on her way towards the toddler. Before she leaves the room, though, she turns to Mal and the blonde chuckles when she sees Evie’s wide eyes and gaping mouth, as if she was in shock. “Go on, she’s not very patient, that one.”

“Oh, my God.” Evie breathes out as she leaves the room, closing the door softly behind her and leaving Mal alone, grinning madly at the ceiling.

When Evie finally returns minutes later, she finds Mal sitting up on their bed and looking down at her phone as she waits for her. She doesn’t say anything, only crawls onto the bed and moves so she can straddle Mal’s lap, taking the phone from her hands and setting it beside them on the bed before wrapping her arms around Mal’s neck.

“I love you so much. Thank you for giving me the best present I could’ve ever asked for.”

Mal raises an eyebrow, “The best?”

Evie nods, leaning down and kissing Mal hard until they’re both breathless when they pull away moments later, “The  _ best _ .”

* * *

Lyla decides she wants to take dance classes one week, while she’s watching some ballet movie with fascinated eyes and rapt attention. Evie and Audrey are all for it, being ballerinas themselves. Mal and Ben decide to leave them to it, allowing them to be in charge of setting everything up. From signing her up to a ballet class to getting her the clothes she’d need, they were on it. Sometimes Audrey would take her, sometimes Evie would. And Lyla would come back with excited grins and tales of the new friends she’s made, of her teacher, of the moves she’s learned – it seems she’s found yet another passion. It makes Mal’s heart happy and excited to learn more, more, more. To see her grow and blossom each and every day into this beautiful, talented, passionate young girl that she’s lucky enough to call her daughter.

Evie and Audrey gush about Lyla all the time, too. About how talented she is, about how she might just be the best dancer in the whole class. About how she picks up the movements so quickly, how she can do a split easily.

“You seriously made like, the most talented kid ever. She’s good at everything.” Evie shakes her head one night, recalling Lyla’s dance lesson from earlier that day. Mal chuckles and feels pride swirling in her chest at the compliment.

//

Mal meets Evie and Lyla at the dance school for the first time on Lyla’s second week of classes. She gets there a little before her class is over, and she watches through the big glass window as Lyla twirls and skips and smiles happily. She can hear the muffled sound of the music playing inside the room and her teacher’s voice calling out the steps, and she smiles when she sees the teacher praising her daughter with an impressed smile.

Mal stands there for ten minutes, and soon the class comes to an end and the kids are rushing out of the room with their parents or responsible adults. She watches as Lyla skips towards a grinning Evie in the corner of the room and takes her hand as Evie holds her bag over her shoulder, and the two of them make their way out of the room and smile when they notice Mal standing by the window, looking at them with a matching smile. Evie greets her with a kiss.

“Hi, bug.” Mal says to her daughter, taking her other hand as they continue walking, “Did you have fun?”

“Yes! The most fun! The teacher said I’m really good at twirling and doing the splits and my friend Mary said she likes my hair.” Lyla says all in one breath, “Mommy said I’m the best ballet dancer ever and that I’m really great at it and I can twirl forever and ever and ever but I won’t because I get dizzy.”

Mal and Evie chuckle at that, and Mal says, “That’s great, bug.”

“Mommy, I am  _ sooo _ hungry.” Lyla announces to them, not really addressing one particular mommy. “Can we get somethin’ to eat? Can it be chocolate cake? No, wait, can it be a sandwich? No, wait, can it –“

“How about we just go over to the coffee shop and you decide there what you want?” Mal offers, and Lyla thinks for a moment before she nods. “Okay, that’s my girl.”

//

Lyla decides she’ll have the strawberry pancakes with a strawberry milkshake, and it kind of becomes her go to food every time she finishes a week of dance classes. Every Friday after her last class of the week, she’ll crave those strawberry pancakes and the strawberry milkshake. So much so, that years later, when Lyla’s well into her teen years and still passionate about ballet as ever, she’ll get a craving for pancakes and milkshakes that she doesn’t really know where it comes from, having forgotten that one day had ever happened.

* * *

The months come and go, big days and small days pass by, but the happiness, the sense of home and fulfillment and excitement doesn’t ever leave. Lyla’s growing more and more every day, and so is Evie and Mal’s relationship. They all learn new things about each other each passing day, and they find that they’re addicted to it. Addicted to waking up every day and starting a whole new day together, as a family.

And soon it’s been a year since Evie moved in, and it’s been a year since Audrey and Evie have been promoted as mothers, not just Lyla’s parents significant others. It’s been a year since their family has grown, a year full of laughter, hugs, singing and dancing and squealing when you’re really happy. And love. So much love.

One of Mal’s main concerns during her pregnancy, even in the early stages, was that her baby would grow up in a home filled with happiness and warmth and she never had a single day that she doubted that she was special. She made it her priority. As did Ben. And she’s pleased, and so,  _ so  _ happy to know that they’ve succeeded.

And Mal finds it weird to think about, sometimes. How it all happened. How it all came down. She’d never really thought about high school, or Evie, or Audrey after graduation. Hadn’t given them a fleeting thought. And now they were part of her family, and Evie was part of her future. Now she couldn’t  _ not  _ think about Evie, couldn’t imagine not spending a day without her.

It’s weird how life happens, sometimes. Everything can change so quickly.

Mal’s learning to really love it.

* * *

Ben proposes to Audrey a few months later, and the wedding is a huge party. Lyla demanded to be the maid of honor, even if she didn’t quite know what that was for sure. She got it, of course, and Evie and Audrey designed the cutest, prettiest gown ever. Lyla looks like a princess, and she smiles and squeals and twirls all over the place until she finally passes out on Harry’s lap.

Mal dances with Evie the whole night, and Uma spends the entire night teasing her that they were pretty much the only ones left to get hitched (the only ones left, because Harry and Uma had gone on a trip for an entire week to some tropical, faraway place that they were obsessed with and had returned with gold bands on their ring fingers and Harry demanding people call him “Mr. Uma” from that moment on. Mal was absolutely pissed that she hadn’t been informed of their wedding and that they had eloped without telling anyone, but then she had decided that it was so extraordinarily  _ Uma and Harry _ of them to do so that her anger had quickly dissipated and given place to happiness for her friends).

Their friends make a bet on how long it’ll take for one of them to pop the question, and Mal and Evie only laugh and chuckle and shake their heads at their friends’ antics. Chad thinks it’ll be another year, Uma shakes her head and says it’ll be another six months. Jay only rolls his eyes and tells them that they’re all crazy if they don’t think one of them doesn’t already have an engagement ring ready for the right moment.

//

Jay was right. Mal did have the engagement ring. And she pops the question in the only way she can think of.

She texts Evie and asks her to meet her at the coffee shop, and she gets there five minutes earlier. She sits on the same booth as always, and orders the same thing as always. She rips open a packet of sugar to pour on her coffee, and that’s how Evie finds her.

She sets her purse down before she sits, and she greets Mal with a silly grin. “Hi, beautiful.”

Mal’s heart kickstarts against her chest, as it usually does when she sees Evie, and she finds that the nervousness she’s feeling right now is one she hasn’t felt since the day she’d met Evie here three years ago.

Evie notices it. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, more than okay. Um, do you know what today is?”

“Uh, Monday?”

Mal chuckles and shakes her head, “I mean, yeah. But that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if you know what  _ today  _ is.”

Evie thinks for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing together as she tries to remember what could possibly be today’s date. “No, sorry. Should I?”

“Um, no, it’s okay. It’s just – um, okay, so this is gonna sound very, very corny. Like, the next few minutes of your life you’re going to experience something that’s so incredibly corny and mushy that you won’t believe it.” Mal warns, and Evie raises a perfect eyebrow and the side of her lips amusedly. She nods at Mal to go on, and the blonde takes a deep breath. “Today’s our third year anniversary.”

Evie frowns, “But we got together in –“

“No, not that one. I meant… Today’s been three years since we met up for coffee that one day. I found an old calendar.”

Evie gasps. “Are you serious? Oh, my God. Three years?”

“Three whole years.” Mal nods, giving Evie a happy grin that Evie easily returns. They look at each other in silence for a moment before Mal remembers what she’s here for, and Evie seems to catch the moment of realization. Seems to understand that this isn’t just some random coffee date with her girlfriend. She bites her lips and waits.

“I have something to ask you. And it felt right that I do it here.” Mal begins, takes a deep breath and continues, “I was sitting right here and you were sitting right there when I realized I felt comfortable enough with you to share things about me I hadn’t shared with a lot of people. That I realized I felt comfortable around you. And you know now that that doesn’t happen to me all that often. Especially with people I’ve only really just met. Or, re-met.” She adds, and Evie chuckles and nods. Mal takes another deep breath and continues, “I had kinda forgot that I was my own person, aside from being Lyla’s mother. I thought I would be  _ just _ Lyla’s mom forever, and I was kinda okay with it, I guess. But you came into my life and you brought all this new excitement and happiness and made me realize that I didn’t have to be  _ just  _ Lyla’s mom. That I could be me, that I could follow my dreams and my instincts and just…  _ be _ . Be my own person  _ and _ Lyla’s mom at the same time. That I didn’t have to choose one thing or the other.”

“And this is crazy, E. Like, really crazy. Never in a million years would I have seen this coming. I swear, if I could go back and tell angsty teen me that I’d be here, today, in this situation, I don’t think angsty teen me would’ve believed it,” Mal wrinkles her nose, and Evie chuckles. Mal reaches inside her jacket pocket and fishes out a velvet box and Evie gasps. Mal grins, “You’re my best friend, my favorite person – after Lyla, of course -, and to risk sounding even more cheesy… you’re my soulmate. I don’t think bumping into you was an accident. I think it was meant to be. And I don’t want to spend another minute not calling you my wife, if that’s cool with you. So,” She opens the box and presents it to Evie with a smile, “What do you say? Will you marry me?”

Evie looks down at the box with tears in her eyes, and it’s one of the few times Mal’s seen her so speechless. Evie doesn’t really give Mal a moment to process what’s happening as she jumps up from her seat and practically throws herself on the booth beside Mal, wrapping her arms around the blonde’s neck and pulling her into a hard kiss that leaves them breathless. Mal can taste Evie’s tears in their kiss and Evie only really lets go of her when her lungs are burning and begging her for air.

Evie presses her forehead against Mal’s and they’re silent for a moment before Mal speaks up, “Um, I’ve never done this before, but… I think that’s a yes, right?”

Evie giggles and pecks her again, and then again and then one more time for good measure and nods, “That’s a yes in almost every language I can think of.”

“There are a lot of languages.” Mal says seriously, and Evie nods and chuckles.

“I love you so much.”

“Yeah,” Mal smiles, taking the ring from the box and sliding it into Evie’s ring finger, “Yeah, I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I'm like, oddly emotional at the moment. It's over! Well, not quite. There's still one small epilogue that I'll be posting sometime tomorrow. But for now, this is it. I apologize for taking so long with this one, and I hope you guys understand now why I did. Thank you so much for waiting and for being so excited about this story, it really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this final part as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope it lived up to the expectations. Come talk to me if you want! You know where to find me. xx


	6. Epilogue.

They name their twins Ava and Amelia, but Lyla calls them Monkey 1 and Monkey 2 (because even though she’s well into her nines, she’s still kinda expecting to get her pet monkey. And the twins aren’t exactly what she was expecting, even though she did love them with her whole entire heart). She vows to protect them from everything and teach them everything she knows, just like she’s vowed to do so with Lucas – Audrey and Ben’s baby boy that had been born a year after their wedding. A boy with tanned skin and brown hair and kind brown eyes that smiled a lot and was fascinated by his big sister.

Ava and Amelia looked like exact replicas of a mix of their mothers. Their brown hair and green eyes and thick eyebrows left no doubt that those kids were Evie and Mal’s – just another proof that when you thoroughly searched for the right DNA through the dozens of papers that the clinic had sent you, no matter how much your wife told you that you should just pick someone that didn’t sound like a dick, you’d get the right results. Evie was proud of every second she’d spent highlighting and obsessively reading through those records.

_(“I found the one.” Evie announces one night, holding up a piece of paper with a grin. Mal raises an eyebrow._

_“You sure?”_

_“Yup. I’m feeling a really strong Mal energy from this guy,” Evie says, skimming the paper for a second as she holds it with her two hands, “Blonde, green eyes… a grown adult with the height of a fourteen year old.”_

_“I hate you so much.”_

_“I know,” Evie grins, and then winks, “That’s why we’re married.”)_

And being a mother from the get-go was a new experience for Evie. But one she loved immensely. Lyla had existed for two whole years and a little more before she’d met her, and she’d gradually grown into a mother figure for the young girl. Mal had been the only one in their relationship to have any experience with pregnancy – even though Evie’s was a little trickier than hers, as she was pregnant with twins. But Mal’s prior knowledge was incredibly helpful, and Evie had enjoyed the entire process – even if sometimes her enjoyment and gratefulness sounded a lot like grunts and swear words and bad moods. But then, when she had looked down at her babies and seen their little green eyes looking up at her for the first time, she had understood all those things Mal had told her about the first time she’d seen Lyla. She’d felt it herself. The love, the adoration, the protectiveness – it was all there. And Mal had felt it all again. This time, though, she had experienced what Ben had gone through that one night, all those years ago.

Lyla had helped pick the names. She’d sat on Mal’s lap for the entire night, one of the first times she’d managed to stay awake without her mother insisting she go to sleep, and they had scrolled through dozens and dozens of websites trying to find good names. They’d tried it out, called it out for the sleeping babies beside a sleeping Evie’s bed, writing down the ones they liked the sound of to tell Evie when she woke up later.

* * *

Lyla’s family was big. And it wasn’t traditional. She had three younger siblings, three mothers and one dad, and she had Uncles and Aunts and cousins (that aren’t blood related to her, but are still cousins) and one grandpa and two grandmas.

She recalls a conversation she’s had with her mother once, when she was still little and couldn’t pronounce her R’s and only ever walked around with her Adventure Time toys (that were still very much present in her life even at the age of twelve, thank you very much) about how families were people you loved the most, and how they could come in lots of different ways. Like how her friend Kevin lives with his aunt, a woman that loved him and would do anything for him and treated him as her own son. Or how her friend Chris has two moms and two dads, or how her friend Jack had told her once his dad was a train, but had backtracked that sentiment a few weeks later and explained that he just didn’t really like his dad that day because he’d been grounded by the man. Families weren’t all the same, and they came in different ways, and sometimes they were small, like Kevin’s family, and sometimes they were big and mismatched, like Lyla’s. All of them were valid and beautiful and great and awesome.

And she loved her family the _best_.

(She was still waiting on that pet monkey, though).

* * *

It’s been a few good years since the day Mal and Evie had reconnected, and Friday morning finds a fifteen year old Lyla sitting down by the kitchen counter of their bigger, better house that they had moved into a few years after her mothers had gotten married. A house that was beside Audrey and Ben’s, and that allowed Lyla to be close to all of her siblings and parents equally. A house that had an art room like Mal’s always dreamed of. A house that was homely and big and cozy and _theirs_.

Evie’s setting the table for breakfast while Lyla scrolls through her social media, already dressed for school in jeans and a light pink vintage shirt with Princess Bubblegum’s face printed on it that she had found selling online a few months ago. Evie had smiled fondly when Lyla had come down the stairs earlier with that shirt on, glad that some things had never changed, even if her little sunshine was turning into a grown up each and every passing day.

Mal walks into the room fully dressed for work, the six year old twins scampering after her arguing on who gets to ride shotgun – even though that’s Lyla’s seat -, and who gets the last piece of cake for breakfast. Mal ignores them and walks towards Evie, greeting her with a kiss and walking over to the coffee pot to prepare her mug.

There’s a knock on the kitchen door that leads to their backyard that’s connected to Ben and Audrey’s, and Lucas walks in when Evie tells him to come in, dressed in a deep blue sweater and light blue jeans and a grin on his tanned face as he joins the banter easily after he greets them with a cheery good morning and sits down beside his sister.

Lyla winks at him when he slides the piece of cake closer to him while the twins argue, and Mal and Evie watch affectionately as the twins go about their early morning banter.

“I called dibs on the cake last night!” Ava argues. Amelia rolls her eyes.

“No, you didn’t! I did!”

“You did not! You don’t even know what calling dibs is.”

“Yes, I do! And you _didn’t.”_

“I did! Wait, where is it?” Ava and Amelia glance at the table, and then they look up at the same time to see Lucas taking a huge, generous bite off it with a silly, boyish grin on his nine year old face.

“ _Lucas!_ ” They exclaim together, and Lyla shushes them for being too loud. Mal and Evie laugh and sit down next to them.

“Mami made pancakes, why don’t you eat those and then we’ll get more cake later?” Mal compromises, trying to avoid World War III from starting here at her kitchen table and the twins pout for a second before they nod and allow their mothers to load their plates with Evie’s special pancakes. Lyla smirks, all too familiar with those special compromises, and Mal winks at her in response.

“Mom asked me to thank you guys for driving me to school today,” Lucas says, covering his mouth with his hand so he can finish chewing and talk at the same time. Mal smiles and Evie nods. “And she asked me to ask you if it’s okay if you drove me with Lyla to dance class.”

“Of course, sweetie, no worries.” Evie says, and Lucas smiles back.

“Mom, is it okay if I hang out with my friends today after ballet?” Lyla asks as she takes a sip of her orange juice, and Mal raises an eyebrow.

“Who would those friends be?”

“The same people of always, mom.” Lyla rolls her eyes.

“Okay, and remind me who they are again?”

The younger blonde sighs and the younger kids giggle, “Mary, Jordan, Jamie, Chris…”

“Chris? He does ballet now?” Mal asks curiously, and Lyla widens her eyes and blushes a vivid red when she sees Lucas perking up at the name and grinning madly.

“Yes, he does because he’s Lyla’s _boyfriend_!” Lucas sing songs in a teasing voice, and Lyla glares at him while the twins giggle and Mal and Evie gasp.

“What?” Mal asks, nearing a panic attack, and Evie grins.

“You have a boyfriend?”

“No! He’s not my boyfriend! Lucas, shut up!”

“He’s always hanging around Lyla, my friend Dan said he only signed up for ballet class because Lyla was on it.” Lucas informed, ignoring his older sister, and Mal and Evie look from him to Lyla with raised eyebrows.

“How would your friend Dan even _know_ that?” Lyla asks exasperatedly.

“’Cos he’s friends with Chris’ brother, and I asked him to keep tabs on him for me.”

“ _Why_ would you ask that?”

“Because I’m your brother, duh. Now, are you done with those pancakes?”

“No. Lucas, stop! Those are mine!”

“Fine, fine. Aunt Evie, can I have my own pancakes since Lyla doesn’t wanna share?” Lucas asks, and Evie laughs and nods.

“I want to be a lion for Halloween.” Ava announces randomly a few minutes later as she waits for her mother to cut up her pancake for her. Mal looks at her.

“I thought you wanted to be a princess?”

“Nah, I changed my mind. I saw this lion on TV last night with Lyla and they’re _so_ cool.”

“Okay, then.” Mal nods and Ava grins.

“What about you, sweetie? What do you wanna be for Halloween?” Evie asks Amelia, who’s chewing her pancake happily. Amelia looks up at her and thinks for a second.

“I think I wanna stick with being a princess, if that’s okay, thank you.”

Evie and Mal chuckle. “Okay, baby. A princess it is.”

“Can I _have_ a lion, please?” Ava asks as she grabs her fork and begins to eat her pancake.

“Good luck with that, I’m still waiting on my pet monkey.” Lyla says, sending a mock glare towards her mothers, making both women laugh.

“Lions are so much cooler than monkeys.” Ava says in air of superiority, and Lyla raises one single eyebrow at her. Ava grins toothily at her and the older girl laughs and shakes her head.

Their conversation diverges to the day they have ahead of them after that, and their plans for the weekend, and then it’s time for them to finish breakfast and go to school. Evie hands them their lunches – and Mal and Evie stand and watch as they all begin to grab their things and begin their morning routine.

“Ava, what you got today?” Lucas asks and Ava peeks into her lunchbox.

“I got that granola bar you like.”

“Wanna trade me for this fruit roll-up?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Amelia, you wanna trade? I got a jelly sandwich today.”

“No, thank you, I’m good with my banana. I got an extra apple today, do you want it?”

“No, thanks, I got one too.”

“Kay. Lyla, do you want this apple?”

“I’m good, thanks. Lucas, did you remember to pack your ballet shoes this time?"

"Yeah, yeah. Do you have $5 I could borrow for a snack afterwards?"

"Yeah, remind me later. Amelia, do you need me to tie your shoes?”

“No, it’s fine, I got it.”

Evie and Mal smile softly as they watch Ava kneeling down in front of Amelia and tying her shoes for her as Lyla helps Lucas with his bag. 

Until Amelia hisses and trips and falls over, pushing Lucas into Lyla and making the teen shriek as Ava laughs happily, satisfied that her prank of tying her sister’s shoelaces together had worked so well.

Evie and Mal look to each other.

“That’s _your_ kid.”

And thus, another day begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. So! This is it!  
> Just wanted to say a massive thank you to you guys for reading this story and for the incredible feedback you've given me. This was my very first multi-chapter fanfic, and frankly I was a little nervous to post it at first, but very very excited. Thanks to my good friend @cabooseachievables for sticking with me through every step of the way, starting from letting me ramble about this small idea I had to the full length story. You're awesome, dude. And also, thanks to everyone who's read, commented, liked, sent me messages about this story - you guys are fucking awesome. Thank you! I hope you guys liked this story and I hope you guys liked how I ended it. I did tear up a few times writing this, not gonna lie. I just hope I did it justice. As always, you know where to find me if you wanna talk about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Have a great week, and until next story! x


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